No more General Assembly votes this year. Budget, Medicaid battles await in 2026
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Legislature to meet procedurally with no votes; budget stalemate leaves NC unique
- Gov. Josh Stein rescinds Medicaid provider cuts; funding ends in April amid lawsuits
- House plans property tax reform as a 2026 priority; limited committee work continues
Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Capitol bureau chief Dawn Vaughan, and this edition focuses on North Carolina’s governor.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s battle with the General Assembly over Medicaid funding has come to a close, at least for 2025.
This past week, Stein decided to end the Medicaid cuts to providers that he put in place Oct. 1. He had made the cuts because funding will run out in April, and he reversed them amid lawsuits and a lack of legislative action.
The move to pressure state lawmakers to pass more money sooner failed, as the legislature can’t even come to an agreement on the state budget, which is in a stalemate over taxes between the Republican-controlled House and Senate. We’re now the last state in the country to not have a new spending plan.
There’s a legislative session scheduled for Monday in both the House and the Senate, but there won’t be any votes. Spokespeople for both chambers’ leaders told The News & Observer on Friday the session will just be procedural, and no further votes are expected, either.
No Senate committees are meeting. There are three House study committee meetings on Wednesday, however, so the Legislative Building won’t be completely empty. And legislative staff will be there even if lawmakers aren’t.
One of those House committees is the first meeting about reforming property tax law, a priority of House Speaker Destin Hall for 2026.
For those working in or visiting the Legislative Building this week, check out the Christmas decorations, including wreaths on the front doors and the window that overlooks Jones Street as well as two Christmas trees.
NC’s first Jewish governor lights Capitol Christmas tree
Stein is the state’s first Jewish governor. As previous governors have done, he lit the Christmas tree on the State Capitol grounds in the annual ceremony on Thursday. Stein was joined by schoolchildren for the moment of lighting, and talked some about his own faith.
“In my faith tradition, we celebrate a holiday called Hanukkah, that is also about the miracle of light, the miracle of hope and faith. Sometimes, when it’s really dark, it can feel overwhelming, despairing or even scary. But light is more powerful. Because when things are at their darkest, when it is pitch black, a single light can pierce the darkness. A single light can inspire more light,” Stein said before they lit the tree.
“So together, let’s be that light. Let’s ignite our own flame and keep it burning. Let’s be the light in our schools, in our homes, on our sports teams, in our neighborhoods — wherever we are, let’s draw inspiration from the many, many lights that are already shining brightly across our state,” he said.
Stay up to date on #ncpol
Here are more #ncpol headlines:
- NC Gov. Josh Stein reverses cuts to Medicaid, but says it’ll run out of money
- What to know about the high-stakes NC primary between Phil Berger and Sam Page
- As he challenges Berger, NC sheriff faces investigation — over a vending machine
- Trump endorses NC Senate leader Phil Berger in primary, offers challenger a job
Be sure to listen to our Under the Dome politics podcast, with new episodes posting on Tuesdays. This past week, I was joined by democracy reporter Kyle Ingram and Raleigh local government reporter Anna Johnson.
Thanks for reading. Ideas or feedback about our Under the Dome newsletter? Email me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com or our entire politics team at dome@newsobserver.com. Not a newsletter subscriber? Sign up here.
