North Carolina Republicans in need of Democrats on casino deal as draft bill emerges

Monday, September 18, 2023 8:55 PM
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  • Brian Murphy, Will Doran, and Travis Fain, WRAL-TV

Democratic lawmakers vowed Monday not to support GOP-backed casino legalization, even if it were tied with one of Democrats’ long-held policy goals — Medicaid expansion — as Republicans seek to break an impasse over the state’s delayed budget.

“We are united in opposing this latest political stunt,” Senate Democrats wrote in a public letter.

The letter comes days after the proposal was hatched. Republican leaders on Saturday floated a new plan to pull provisions to legalize more gambling and expand Medicaid out of the budget and force two votes: One on the annual spending plan, and another on a bill that would combine Medicaid and gambling provisions.