"NC Budget: Raises, Tax Cuts, and Medicaid Expansion Approved"

North Carolina's $30-billion budget, which includes Republican priorities and a long-sought Democratic victory on Medicaid expansion, will become law without Gov. Roy Cooper's signature. The budget, delayed by Republican disputes over expanded gambling, includes the expansion of Medicaid, providing health insurance to hundreds of thousands of the state's working poor. While Democrats criticized the budget for shortchanging schools and prioritizing power grabs, Republicans defended it, citing tax cuts, moderate raises for state employees, additional healthcare funding, and investments in infrastructure. The budget also grants the legislature expansive new powers and increases funding for private school vouchers.