Early Takeaways from the NCGOP’s Wild Legislative Agenda

The NCGOP has proposed some absurd legislation during the opening days of 2025. 

They include a gun bill that would do away with concealed carry permits, legislation that would cut the early voting period from three weeks to just six days, and a health care bill that would allow insurance companies to deny coverage for even more procedures.

But potentially the most revealing piece of legislation is the fourth iteration of Hurricane Helene relief aid proposed by GOP leaders.  

Democratic Governor Josh Stein requested $1.07 billion for Western North Carolina– money to support local businesses, school districts, homebuilding efforts, and infrastructure repairs. 

Republican leadership countered with a far smaller proposal, one which falls $500 million short of the governor’s request. Among the notable cuts were grants for small businesses and funding for summer education programs for students whose schools were temporarily closed in the fall. 

It’s not the first time the NCGOP has skimped on Helene aid. Gov. Cooper initially requested $3.9 billion for Helene relief. Republican legislators funded just 15% of the plan. SB 382, the final major piece of legislation passed by last year’s Republican legislators, was masked as a disaster relief bill but ultimately accomplished little outside of consolidating power around newly elected Republicans. The bill set aside $252 million from state reserves, but ordered nearly all of it to remain unspent.   

Aid is desperately needed. Initial damage estimates following the hurricane were over $50 billion. Five months after the storm, 2,600 households are still living in temporary shelters. 31 public school districts serving 205,295 students, most of which come from low-income families, are still struggling to catch up. 

Republican legislators have defended their slow approach by claiming federal dollars would provide the bulk of support. But now that the Trump administration is at war with government spending, federal money for crucial projects could be delayed until the fall– or may never come at all.

We invest our time, our money, our energy, in what we believe in. If not schools, if not local businesses, if not communities rebuilding in the wake of a natural disaster, what does the NCGOP believe in anymore? 

Call and ask. Until the NCGOP finds their values, we’ll continue to remind them of ours.