97 The Problem of Nothing?

Susan discusses Medicaid cut impacts on our families and schools while Renee does a deep dive on what is going on with the University system.

In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book dig into what happens when the North Carolina legislature simply… does nothing. From stalled Medicaid funding to the growing crisis in the UNC university system, this conversation exposes how legislative inaction and political meddling are creating real harm for students, families, educators, and care workers across the state.

Susan unpacks how the General Assembly’s failure to reconcile its budget has left Medicaid providers, schools, and vulnerable North Carolinians facing devastating cuts — including $200 million in lost support for public schools. Then, Renee takes listeners inside the UNC System, revealing how decades of political control have eroded academic freedom, gutted funding, and fueled efforts to reshape higher education through partisan oversight and ideological censorship.

It’s a revealing, infuriating, and deeply important conversation about public education, healthcare, and democracy in North Carolina — and what everyday advocates can do to fight back.

🎧 Listen now to learn:

• How the NC legislature’s inaction threatens Medicaid and school-based care.

• Why faculty across the UNC system are speaking out about political interference.

• What the new “School of Civic Life and Leadership” really represents.

• How citizens can pressure lawmakers to fund essential services and protect education.

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Keywords: North Carolina advocacy, public education, Medicaid funding NC, UNC system, higher education reform, legislative interference, academic freedom, healthcare cuts, NC General Assembly, civic engagement, Renee Sekel, Susan Book, everyday advocacy.