If North Carolinians haven’t picked up on the strained tenor of political discourse under divided government — a Democrat in the governor’s mansion, Republicans controlling both houses of the legislature — they should have after Gov. Bev Perdue signed an executive order on June 3, allowing 47,000 residents to receive federal unemployment benefits.
Let’s just say the dialogue has not been marked by mutual respect.
“We have directed our nonpartisan staff to study whether the governor’s act is legal, said Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) in an official statement. “We hope that, in a desperate effort to claim credit for what’s going to occur because of the bipartisan budget, she is not putting the benefits of thousands of unemployed North Carolinians at risk by using a questionable legal gimmick. If she really thinks this is appropriate, she shamefully did nothing for weeks.
“Make no mistake: We want these citizens to get their benefits. That’s why we voted twice to restore them.”
Perdue rejected two Republican bills that attempted to tie federal unemployment benefits to a commitment to cut state spending.
Perdue responded on Monday: “The governor’s legal authority to restore these benefits is clearly set forth in the executive order. It would have been better if the legislature had done the right thing and sent me a bill that would extend these benefits as I repeatedly requested. But they repeatedly refused. So I ultimately found a way to do this myself. I am confident I have the legal authority to extend the benefits under the powers referenced in the Executive Order. But given the governor’s constitutional authority has not previously been used to extend federal unemployment benefits, and given the demonstrated willingness of the Republican leaders in the legislature to use unemployed workers as political pawns, I will not be surprised if they try to stop these benefits from reaching unemployed North Carolinians.”
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