Budgets matter, both within government and inside each household across America, because they demonstrate just how much we value our priorities and are willing to contribute to achieving them.

With the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act now on hold for the time being, Congress is turning its attention to other matters that have the potential to have significant impacts on North Carolina. The following essays from N.C. Budget and Tax Center experts Luis Toledo and Alexandra Sirota examine two that rank high on the list -- re-authorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program and President Trump's proposed tax cut plan.