In addition to putting the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians at risk, the changes to Medicaid are expected to negatively impact rural hospitals, potentially leading to the closure of some health clinics in rural communities across the country.
For storm-ravaged communities, little has changed. Aid has been slow, and Whatley has been largely absent from the disaster zone, with Smoky Mountain News reporting that Whatley has “rarely, if ever” visited the area. Records show the FEMA council has met only twice in seven months, totaling about three hours.
“Sunday voting has long served as a vital access point for Black voters in North Carolina, especially through ‘Souls to the Polls’ traditions led by our churches, communities, and civic organizations. For many working families, Sunday provides the only real opportunity to cast a ballot without sacrificing wages or family responsibilities.”
On August 22nd, the Friday before lawmakers were set to return, representatives from Hall’s office, as well as representatives from the office of Senate leader Phil Berger (R- Guilford), said there would be no votes in the upcoming weeks.
Durham is just the latest city to utilize the American Rescue Plan to expand broadband access for working-class families. Signed into law by President Biden in 2021, the ARPA has funded over 240 broadband projects in 25 states.
Gun safety advocates gathered last week to sound the alarm over Senate Bill 50, legislation that would allow North Carolinians as young as 18 to carry concealed, loaded handguns without a permit. With legislators back in town, the bill remains on the House calendar. If Republicans believe they have the votes, the chamber could move quickly to override Stein’s veto.
For North Carolina, the cuts proposed in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act are projected to erase $32 billion in Medicaid funding over the next decade, along with food assistance, funding for public schools, and clean energy tax credits.
“I can’t charge $30 for a chocolate bar, I can’t raise your price three times and leave us in this weird spot where we have to switch our business,” Sam Ratto, owner of Videri Chocolate in downtown Raleigh, told ABC 11.
Rep. Phil Rubin (D-Wake) blasted Whatley as a “Washington big oil lobbyist” who has “consistently elevated the most extreme forces in this party and in North Carolina”. Rubin pointed directly to Robinson, who lost the 2024 governor’s race in a landslide after years of inflammatory remarks.
“We’re in the worst hunger crisis that we’ve seen in nearly 20 years and with SNAP cuts that have been passed at the federal level, we’re going to see that spike in a way that we can’t fill the gap up,” Amy Beros, CEO of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, told NC Newsline.