On Monday, April 26, Governor Roy Cooper gave his biennial State of the State address at the General Assembly. If you would like to watch the full broadcast, below is an embed of the live stream from PBS North Carolina.
You can also read the full prepared text of the speech from AP News here.
Gov. Cooper discussed many topics in his State of the State, including pushing the General Assembly to pick up Medicaid expansion and advocating for borrowing money due to low-interest rates. One can gather insight into Cooper’s state of mind when it comes to borrowing money through his exclamation, “We’re never gonna get a better deal!”
Journalist Andrew Dunn reported on the State of the State for Carolina Journal:
His 30-minute speech Monday, April 26, broke little new ground, largely echoing the $55.9-billion budget proposal he put forward late last month. Cooper pleaded with lawmakers to embrace his proposal and increase spending on a litany of liberal priorities…
“Let’s make a deal. Let’s get this done,” Cooper said, pounding the podium on the House floor. “I don’t want to have to veto the budget, and I will do my part to see that we have a budget, and I expect you to do yours.”
Following Cooper’s remarks, PBS aired a pre-recorded response from House Speaker Tim Moore. Moore rejected the idea of expanding the budget through borrowing and dipping into state savings. Dunn reports:
“We know that this is a recipe for unsustainable budgeting that will eventually lead to painful cuts or tax hikes in the near future,” he said.
Instead, he said North Carolina should stay on a fiscally conservative course and further reduce taxes.
Read Carolina Journal‘s full coverage of the State of the State here. Read more about Gov. Cooper’s budget proposal in John Locke Foundation researcher Joe Coletti’s three-part series breaking it down here, here, and here.
