Gov. Josh Stein unveiled his latest budget gambit, a proposed $1.4 billion spending package that, if enacted, would create more problems than it would solve.

A primary feature of Gov. Stein’s $1.4 billion gambit is a $319 million increase in Medicaid spending, $129 million more than the $190 million legislative leaders have agreed is needed to fund Medicaid rebase through the end of the fiscal year. As Speaker Destin Hall’s office pointed out in a press release following Gov. Stein’s press conference, there are other concerns in Gov. Stein’s bloated healthcare budget.

Speaker Hall’s office said in a release, “His healthcare plan refuses to include basic cost controls and guardrails to protect taxpayer dollars. Instead, he proposes directing funds toward high-cost initiatives, like GLP-1 drugs, and programs with a history of fraud and abuse.”

Last fall Gov. Stein’s administration subjected recipients of Medicaid to unprecedented cuts to reimbursements in an effort to generate a political crisis. After months of trying to use Medicaid recipients as leverage and a number of lawsuits, Gov. Stein finally reversed course and restored reimbursements.

Conservative leaders in the North Carolina House have held the line for a smart, forward thinking budget that does not recklessly expand spending and ensures fiscal responsibility. They should reject this latest Medicaid gambit from Gov. Stein and keep the state’s budget on solid footing.