Jennifer Balkcom (NC-11) Research Report
Significant Findings
Summary from the report. Click a headline to see its findings.
Jennifer Balkcom Praised Legislation That Was Projected To Kick Nearly 39,000 People Off Their Health Insurance In NC-11, Threaten Food Assistance For More Than 33,000 Households In The District, And Raise Annual Energy Costs For North Carolinians By Nearly $500
8 findings
- Balkcom praised the One Big Beautiful Bill and said she was “working together” with National Republicans on her campaign after House Republicans passed the federal spending plan.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill enacted the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, slashing local hospital revenue, and was projected to kick nearly 39,000 people in NC-11 off their health insurance.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill threatened to reverse North Carolina’s 2023 Medicaid expansion, garnering opposition from Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill threatened the closure of vital rural hospitals, including MH Angel Medical Center and Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in NC-11.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill enacted the largest SNAP cuts in history, forcing nearly 73,000 North Carolinians off the program.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill rapidly phased out clean energy tax credits, raising North Carolinians’ energy costs, slashing manufacturing jobs, and forcing an Asheville-based solar company to declare bankruptcy.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill gave billions in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy at the expense of working families.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill would add $3.4 trillion to the national debt.
Jennifer Balkcom Voted Against Expanding Medicaid In North Carolina And Called It “A System That Is Already Broken” Even Though It Covered Nearly 30,000 People In NC-11, And She Praised Legislation That Drove Up Monthly Premiums For North Carolinians
4 findings
- 2023: Balkcom voted against expanding Medicaid in North Carolina, which covered nearly 30,000 people in NC-11 and more than 730,000 people statewide, including hundreds of thousands from rural counties.
- Balkcom called Medicaid “a system that is already broken.”
- Balkcom praised the One Big Beautiful Bill, which let ACA tax credits expire, driving up health care costs for more than 74,000 individuals in NC-11 on marketplace plans.
- 2025: Balkcom abstained from voting on a bill to make it easier for physicians and physicians assistants to become licensed in North Carolina.
Jennifer Balkcom Was Backed By DC Politicians That Were Raising The Cost Of Living For North Carolinians, By Voting To Continue Reckless Policies Like The Iran War And Harmful Tariffs
3 findings
- August 2026: Balkcom said she was “working together” with national Republicans, who supported her congressional run.
- House Republicans voted multiple times to keep the Iran War going, despite it contributing to the price of a gallon of gas rising more than $1 in North Carolina and increasing inflation.
- House Republicans voted multiple times to keep tariffs in place that raised prices on essential goods for North Carolina families.
Jennifer Balkcom Was Bad For North Carolina Farmers, Supporting Funding Cuts For Programs Supporting Local Farmers And Working With Politicians That Voted For Tariffs And Policies That Hurt North Carolina Farmers
2 findings
- Balkcom supported DOGE, which slashed more than $30 million in funding for North Carolina food banks, including ones serving areas affected by Helene, to purchase produce from local farmers.
- Balkcom was “working together” with DC politicians that backed policies such as tariffs and the Iran war, causing fertilizer and agricultural diesel prices to skyrocket in North Carolina.
Jennifer Balkcom Supported Efforts That Hindered Helene Recovery And Response In Western North Carolina, Supporting Cuts To Food Banks In Impacted Areas, Weather Services That Helped Emergency Preparedness, And Programs To Rebuild Homes And Provide More Efficient Energy In Areas Recovering From Helene
4 findings
- Balkcom expressed support for the Trump administration and DOGE.
- DOGE hurt Helene recovery by cutting funding for local food banks and volunteers, serving affected areas, threatening to close a local office giving farmers aid, and firing forestry employees responsible for recovery efforts.
- DOGE made cuts to the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service that could leave Western North Carolina nonprofits unprepared to respond to future disasters.
- DOGE cut billions in EPA funding meant for rebuilding homes and providing more efficient energy in areas recovering from Helene.
Jennifer Balkcom Voted Twice For A Bill That Was Projected To Cut Corporations’ Utility Bills While Increasing Costs On Duke Energy Customers And Households, While She Took Thousands Of Dollars From Their Corporate PAC
2 findings
- 2025: Balkcom voted twice for a bill that was projected to cost Duke Energy ratepayers up to $23 billion through 2050, cutting electricity costs for corporations at the expense of North Carolina families.
- 2022-2026: Balkcom took more than $5,000 in campaign cash from Duke Energy’s corporate PAC, as Duke Energy was tied to dark-money mailers supporting S.B. 266.
Jennifer Balkcom Was An Anti-Abortion Extremist Who Said She Supported Banning Abortion With No Exceptions, Including To Save The Life Of The Woman, And Voted To Ban Abortion At 12 Weeks In North Carolina
8 findings
- 2026: Balkcom said she supported banning abortion in all cases and said, “abortion is never medically necessary,” even “for the purpose of saving the life of the mother.”
- 2023: Balkcom voted to ban abortion at 12 weeks in North Carolina with limited exceptions, causing reproductive health providers to leave the state.
- 2023: Balkcom was the primary sponsor of a bill to require doctors to inform women about medically unsound and potentially dangerous so-called abortion pill “reversals” before performing abortions.
- 2025: Balkcom was the primary sponsor of a bill to create a 72-hour waiting period before doctors could mail, provide, or supply abortion medication.
- When asked what changes she would support to North Carolina’s abortion laws in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Balkcom said, “I am pro-life and I will vote accordingly if I am elected.”
- Balkcom said she strongly supported protecting human embryos created through artificial methods, which would end IVF treatment.
- 2025: Balkcom repeatedly voted to defund Planned Parenthood and restrict it from participating in Medicaid, which would have prevented North Carolinians from receiving affordable preventative health and reproductive care.
- Balkcom was been endorsed by extreme anti-abortion groups North Carolina Right To Life and NC Values Coalition.
Jennifer Balkcom Led The Diversion Of Hundreds Of Millions Of Taxpayer Dollars From Public Schools To Fund Private School Tuition For North Carolina’s Wealthiest Families And Supported Eliminating The Department Of Education
2 findings
- 2023: Balkcom repeatedly voted to expand North Carolina’s school voucher program, taking away hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars from public schools to fund private school tuition for North Carolina’s wealthiest families.
- 2023: Balkcom cosponsored and voted for H.B. 823, which would provide an additional $463.5 million in private school voucher funding in the 2024-2025 and 2026-2027 school years.
- 2023: Balkcom voted for the expand state’s voucher program to the North Carolina’s wealthiest families beginning in the 2024-2025 school year and eliminated the prior public school enrollment requirement.
- 2024: Balkcom voted for H.B. 10, which increased funding for private school vouchers to $625 million in FY 2025-2025 and set automatic annual funding increases through FY 2032-2033 and beyond.
- Balkcom cosponsored a joint resolution to urge Congress to eliminate the U.S. Department Of Education, which would threaten more than $24 million in funding to public schools in NC-11.
Jennifer Balkcom Said She Was Voting For Mark Robinson For North Carolina Governor Even After He Was Discovered To Have Posted Disturbing Messages On A Pornography Forum, Called Himself A “Black Nazi,” And Proposed Bringing Back Slavery
3 findings
- October 2024: Balkcom said she was voting for Mark Robinson for governor.
- September 2024: News reports showed Robinson made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website, including calling himself a “Black NAZI,” proposing bringing back slavery, and calling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A “commie bastard.”
- July 2020: Robinson said “there is no compromise on abortion,” and advocated for a complete ban with no exceptions.
Jennifer Balkcom Drew Criticism From Henderson County Commissioners For Voting To Remove More Than $12 Million From An Edneyville Sewer Project Without Contacting Them
3 findings
- October 2025: Balkcom voted to require Henderson County to spend funds on the Etowah wastewater treatment system that were previously allocated for Edneyville wastewater treatment.
- 2025: Henderson County commissioners “blasted” Balkcom for her vote to remove more than $12 million in funding from an Edneyville sewer project without contacting them.
- November 2025: Balkcom reportedly told commissioners she decided to support the funding change after hearing from Edneyville landowners concerned about increased development along the new sewer line.
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