NC lawmakers report progress on state budget talks

June 18, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

North Carolina legislative leaders said budget talks were progressing, with a deal possible by the end of June.

Why this matters

A finalized state budget will determine spending on state agencies, employee and teacher pay, tax policy, and additional Hurricane Helene relief. The talks also matter because North Carolina did not pass a full budget last year.

Republican leaders in the North Carolina House and Senate said this week they are making progress toward a state budget agreement.

House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, met Wednesday to discuss the budget. Talks between the chamber leaders are typically among the final steps before an agreement is reached.

“I feel like we are moving in the right direction,” Berger told reporters Wednesday. “We’ve got a ways to go. We’re nowhere close to being finished, but we’re making progress.”

Hall told reporters Tuesday that lawmakers were on track to pass a budget by the end of the month. Berger said a budget by the end of June was “something that is achievable.”

In May, Berger and Hall said they had resolved an impasse by agreeing on state employee and teacher raises, future tax cuts, and a plan to put constitutional amendments on tax limits before voters in November. Budget writers have been developing a proposal based on that framework, though the work has taken place behind closed doors.

Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, a senior House budget chairman, told reporters Wednesday that the budget includes additional Hurricane Helene relief.

Lambeth said state agencies would not receive everything they requested. “But overall, we’ve done a really reasonable and fair job of listening — we’ve been listening to people now for weeks — and making those decisions jointly with the Senate,” he said.

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