In 2009, the Democrat-controlled General Assembly was unprepared to weather the economic recession without raising taxes and cutting education, Rep. John Bell (R-Greene) said in a Facebook post. | Courtesy Photo
In 2009, the Democrat-controlled General Assembly was unprepared to weather the economic recession without raising taxes and cutting education, Rep. John Bell (R-Greene) said in a Facebook post. | Courtesy Photo
The North Carolina House majority leader praised Republican leadership and policies for dealing with the economic fallout from COVID-19 while criticizing Democrats' actions during The Great Recession.
Rep. John Bell (R-Greene) made his comments in an Oct. 15 Facebook post, as the 2020 election date nears.
"In 2009, when the Democrats last controlled the NC General Assembly, they raised taxes, increased fees, cut education spending, and furloughed state employees and teachers due to decades of reckless spending and irresponsible budgeting," Bell wrote in his post.
When the economic crisis created by COVID-19 restrictions created havoc throughout North Carolina, the state was better-prepared to weather the storm because of Republican policies in the preceding years.
"When Republicans gained control in 2011, we immediately went to work to balance the budget and get our state's finances in order," Bell wrote in his post. "Thanks to these reforms, the state was financially prepared to meet the COVID-19 challenge, allowing us to invest more in education, PPE, rural broadband and small business relief — all without raising taxes."
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