Senator Berger says North Carolina families and farmers need real relief, and they need it now.
He's right. They needed it last summer. They needed it the summer before that. They've needed it every single day his leadership decided they could wait.
A dollar late and a dollar short.
Here's what Senate Democrats put on the table while prices climbed.
A gas tax rebate that would have put money back in your pocket, when it would have mattered. Shelved.
The Carolina Housing Promise Act. Expanded down payment help for first-time buyers, a recapitalized Housing Trust Fund, faster permitting so red tape stops driving up costs, and a $150 million emergency housing fund built on the lessons of Hurricane Helene. Shelved.
Our bill to bring down health care costs. Shelved.
Three bills. Three chances to help. Three doors shut in your face, by the same leadership now calling everyone back to Raleigh.
So what changed?
Not the price of gas. Families have been doing that math at the pump for a long time. Farmers have watched diesel eat margins that were already razor thin. Small business owners have been choosing between raising prices and cutting hours.
I run businesses in North Carolina. I've sat across the table from the people making those hard choices. Not one of them was waiting on a press release.
So here's where I stand. If there's a special session, I'll be there, and I'll vote for anything that puts real money back in people's pockets. Relief is relief, and North Carolinians shouldn't wait one more day for it because of who wants the credit.
But don't confuse a gimmick with a plan. Real relief means bringing those bills off the shelf. It means looking at the whole cost of living, not just the line item that polls well in October. And it means doing the work in January and June, not just when the ballots are about to be printed.
You've been paying attention the whole time. Let's make sure they know it.
Push.