Open Letter from 21 Groups on the Final Budget & Call for Prioritizing People Over Politics and Powerful Interests
To: Leaders of the NC General Assembly
Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget
Members of the House Standing Committee on Appropriations
CC: Members, North Carolina Senate
Members, North Carolina House of Representatives
October 4, 2023
Dear NC Legislators:
We, the undersigned, have come together to reject North Carolina’s final budget as a failure to realize the full potential of our great state and put forward a vision for how we can come together to make sure people and communities have what is needed to thrive.
If leaders were accountable to the people of our state, they would use a democratic process for developing and debating the budget. Instead, they crafted this budget through months of closed-door negotiations with no opportunity for public input, and released it the evening before lawmakers were required to vote. By denying lawmakers the opportunity to meaningfully review, debate, and amend the budget in order to serve their constituents, this process fundamentally disrespects our democracy and the people of North Carolina.
Our state budget should provide access to opportunity for every North Carolinian and ensure we can meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. Instead, after months of delays and political maneuvering, the NC General Assembly passed a budget on Sept. 22, 2023, that is profoundly out of step with people’s needs. Without regard for the hardships of everyday North Carolinians, this budget continues to prioritize tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest people and corporations and jeopardizes our public services for years to come.
Our public dollars should go to public purposes that benefit the whole of the state. The personal income tax cuts in this budget continue a decade-long tax-cutting scheme that primarily benefits the richest North Carolinians and profitable corporations, and will continue to make it difficult for the state to meet the people’s priorities for good schools; affordable child care, housing, and health care; environmental protections; and free and fair elections.
Including the voices of the people in a transparent and democratic process is the only way to create a budget that works for all people, not just the wealthy few.
We demand that legislative leaders stop rigging the rules to benefit their donors and special interests and create a transparent and inclusive budget process that prioritizes the people of North Carolina.
Sincerely,
Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce
North Carolina Asian Americans Together
NC Association of Community Development Corporations
North Carolina Budget & Tax Center
North Carolina Council of Churches
NC League of Conservation Voters
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of NC
Is your organization interested in signing on to this letter as well? Submit your information here.
