No reasonable person would argue that the federal government doesn’t spend enough money. However, while the government does drop plenty of cash, it’s not always on the things we prefer.
Such is the case with the “One Bill Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 3. While some applaud passage of the federal budget reconciliation legislation, particularly the extension of tax cuts originally made in 2017, others say there will be fallout.
How much? The N.C. Budget & Tax Center held a news conference on July 9 featuring policy experts and members of the group Patriotic Millionaires. They warned the bill could trigger deep cuts to Medicaid, stripping health coverage from more than 600,000 residents, plus saddle the state with $438 million a year in food assistance costs.
The question has to be asked: If our federal taxes go down, but our state taxes go up, what have we really gained?
Another cut is on the minds of local residents this week. Attorney General Jeff Jackson and 24 other states have sued to prevent the federal government from freezing funds for North Carolina’s schools and educators. Without the $6.8 billion in nationwide federal funds – which Congress has already approved – North Carolina’s schools will lose more than $165 million in public education funding and nearly 1,000 educators across the state will lose their jobs.
The cuts make up nearly 10% of all of the state’s federal educational funding. And, make no mistake, they will hit hard here at home. According to preliminary analysis, Cherokee County would lose $248 per student, eighth most in the state, adding up to a total of $740,780. Graham ranks as the fourth-highest county at $376 per student.
“Without these funds,” Gov. Josh Stein said, “nearly 1,000 teachers will have their jobs taken from them.”
The money and teachers we can dearly afford to lose – especially in Cherokee, which has more campuses per capita than most counties and already relies on local government support to fund 22 teaching positions, plus others in maintenance. We salute Jackson for filing the lawsuit and hope it works; it’s has to be unconstitutional for the U.S. Department of Education to withhold money Congress has appropriated.
While money is not the solution to all problems, it certainly can help. Having less of it will not give local children a better education, will not put food on the table in low-income households and will not pay for badly needed medical treatment. Our most vulnerable citizens need help in order to stop hurting and become self-sufficient.
However, with the federal government’s realigned priorities, the N.C. General Assembly is facing challenges that won’t be easy to overcome.
– Publisher David Brown