Mel Umbarger
Posts by Mel Umbarger
Statement on US Senate passage of HR1 from Heba Atwa, BTC Director of Legislative Advocacy & Campaigns
Note: The US Senate passed HR1 on July 1; it now goes to the US House for a final vote. In the United States, poverty and hardship are policy choices. At a time when people are already struggling with high prices and growing barriers to financial stability and opportunity, the US Senate had the choice…
House Republicans’ Extreme Budget Plan Fails North Carolina Families, Children, and Communities
Note: An updated version of this fact sheet about the final bill is available here. House Republicans passed legislation that would raise costs on North Carolina families and take health coverage, food assistance, and other essentials away from North Carolinians who are already struggling to make ends meet – all while showering ever larger tax…
Statement on federal tax cuts and the impact on North Carolina, from the NC Budget & Tax Center
The U.S. House has passed a huge, ugly bill that slashes health care and food assistance in order to fund $121 billion in tax cuts for the richest 1 percent in 2026 alone. These giveaways come at a steep cost to people across the country and here in North Carolina. In our state, the richest…
Statement on NC House’s Proposed Budget by Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director of the NC Budget & Tax Center
In the face of extreme proposals from the NC Senate and mounting pressure from federal budget plans that would dump new costs onto North Carolina, NC House budget writers only made modest moves— far short of what’s needed to protect our communities. The NC House’s revision to the deeply flawed revenue trigger for future rate…
Statement by Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director, on release of details of federal budget proposals
Congressional House leaders have unveiled plans for deeply unpopular cuts to health care and food assistance — cuts that are only needed in order to extend tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. As we review the details of these plans, some things are clear: Cuts to Medicaid will mean fewer North Carolinians have health care…
Statement on NC Senate’s proposed budget by Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director of the NC Budget & Tax Center
The NC Senate has presented a budget proposal rooted in magical thinking and cruel cuts that will leave North Carolina unprepared for recessions, federal cost shifts, and climate disasters. This proposal fails to deliver the certainty and greater well-being that North Carolinians expect from a government that should be building an economy that works for…
Hoja informativa: Los planes del presupuesto federal trasladan los costos a Carolina del Norte, perjudicando a las familias de nuestro estado
Sin importar por quién votamos, les residentes de Carolina del Norte quieren una economía que funcione para todas las personas, que garantice que quienes tienen ingresos modestos y medios puedan pagar por cosas esenciales como la comida, la vivienda y el cuidado de salud. Sin embargo, las propuestas para el presupuesto federal de parte del…
2025 Economic County Snapshots for North Carolina
The Economic County Snapshots are one of BTC’s flagship annual publications. They provide key economic and social indicators from publicly available sources for all 100 counties in North Carolina, along with a comparison to state-level data, with measures for employment, poverty and income, affordable housing, health, education, and more. The Snapshots are available for each…
Statement on Governor’s Proposed Budget by Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director of the NC Budget & Tax Center
The Governor has taken a common sense approach to our state budget — pausing scheduled tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest and profitable corporations so that North Carolina can create certainty for families and communities. When people know that their child care will be more affordable, job training will be there for career advancement,…