North Carolina Legislature Advances GOP-Backed Redistricting Plan Amid Minority Voting Impact Concerns

North Carolina's legislature has passed a new congressional redistricting map, Senate Bill 249, which is strongly backed by President Donald Trump and is expected to give Republicans an additional seat in Congress. The map notably alters the northeastern 1st Congressional District, a historically Black district that has elected Black representatives for over 30 years, including former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton, who condemned the map as a "power grab" that diminishes the political power of minority and rural voters. Democrats and civil rights advocates argue that the redistricting dilutes minority voting strength and undermines representation in the Black Belt region. Despite widespread opposition and thousands of public comments against the map, the Republican-led House Redistricting Committee advanced the plan, and it is now law, with no possibility of veto by Democratic Governor Josh Stein. Concurrently, North Carolina lawmakers remain deadlocked over Medicaid funding, with protests highlighting the impact of provider payment cuts on patients, but no consensus has been reached during the short legislative session. Senate leaders propose linking Medicaid funding to a children's hospital project, while the House opposes this approach, prolonging the budget impasse.