Governor Josh Stein holds a veto stamp in his hand and places it onto a bill in the governor's office. — Governor Josh Stein applies his veto stamp to a bill on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (Screenshot from Governor’s Office X video.)

Like the rest of the nation, North Carolina faces some enormous policy challenges these days. Thanks to sustained disinvestments in an array of core public services, our state is fast becoming coarser, less healthy and more divided.

Unfortunately, Republican legislative leaders seem unconcerned. Rather than working with Governor Josh Stein to tackle our numerous outsized problems, they spent the recent legislative session advancing divisive culture war bills and failing even to pass a new state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.

And now, rather than honestly owning up to and addressing their shortcomings, they’re returning to Raleigh this week to double down on them with a plan to override Stein’s vetoes of several destructive and hyper-partisan bills. And the overdue budget? It’s nowhere in sight.

The bottom line: Caring and thinking lawmakers of both parties should take a stand against this failed and divisive strategy by sustaining Stein’s vetoes and sending a message to legislative leaders that it’s past time to end the games and work together for the good of all North Carolinians.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.