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North Carolina's two U.S. senators voted against the federal budget bill approved in the wee hours Saturday morning -- but for very different reasons.

Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, voted against the spending plan put forth by her party because she was concerned about the cuts to the military. But Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, cast a dissenting ballot because the federal spending cuts didn't go far enough to reduce the nation's debt.

GOV. McCRORY TO TALK HIGHER ED: Weeks after he stuck his foot in his mouth, Gov. Pat McCrory will make a speech about higher education and the role of innovation in the university economic growth. The Republican governor made controversial comments about changing the higher education funding formula to reflect job output from colleges, not how many students enroll, and he also suggested the state shouldn't subsidize liberal arts classes like gender studies. The noon speech is at N.C. State.

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: House and Senate leaders appear ready to agree on a bill to block the expansion of Medcaid to 500,000 North Carolinians. The conference report is on the calendar for concurrence and then would go to the governor. But the topless bill is no longer on the calendar. On Monday, Republicans sent it back to committee. Buncombe Rep. Tim Moffitt told AP the delay would give time for consultations with Senate lawmakers. U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan will hold a call this morning to discuss the ramifications of the federal budget impasse on North Carolina.

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As the negotiations on the so-called fiscal cliff enter the final hours, the political positioning among Republicans and Democrats will become increasingly interesting -- especially if there is no deal and the blame game begins.

Here's a look at what U.S. Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina is saying -- and how he's predictably casting all the fault on President Barack Obama as Senate leaders look to negotiate a deal.

From a Burr statement issued Sunday evening: "Negotiations on how to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff have been ongoing since the President was reelected in November.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan said Wednesday negotiators from both parties need to get to work in Washington to reach a budget settlement that includes revenue increases and spending cuts.

The alternative -- the automatic spending cuts and tax increases known as sequestration -- would be "extremely damaging to North Carolina," Hagan said on a conference call with reporters.

Members of the N.C. congressional delegation say they’re ready to compromise on some hardened positions to reach a deal that would prevent the country from plunging over the “fiscal cliff.” Failing to reach an agreement by the end of the year would trigger tax hikes and massive cuts in spending on federal programs.

N.C. Rep. Howard Coble is the latest Republican who says he’s willing to buck one of the party’s sacrosanct pledges to not raise taxes. Read full story here.

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--N.C. Supreme Court Justice Patricia A. Timmons-Goodson, the first and only female African-American to serve on the state’s highest court, is resigning her position. Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat who will leave office after next month, is intent on making the replacement even though if it means she rescinds an executive order she signed to do it.

Advocates for the Wilmington 10 are reviving their effort to get pardons of innocence, saying Gov. Bev Perdue’s lame-duck status offers their best chance.

“I personally believe that Gov. Perdue is our last hope,” said Cash Michaels, the coordinator of the pardon effort. “No offense to Gov.-elect McCrory. I don’t see a Republican governor with a Republican legislature looking at this issue with an unbiased eye. They would look at the potential political implications.” Where's McCrory on the issue? No response from his camp.

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--Gov. Bev Perdue is expected to present a plan as soon as next week to convert the Dorothea Dix Hospital campus in Raleigh into a major urban park. 

Gov. Bev Perdue and officials with Lockheed Martin made a stop Wednesday in Charlotte to tout the economic benefits of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, which is set to become the armed forces’ new workhorse warplane.

At the Carolinas Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Wednesday, Perdue said the program also is under threat from the automatic “sequestration” cuts to defense spending, which are set to kick in if lawmakers can’t reach a compromise to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff next year. Read full story here.

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All day Sunday, Pat McCrory basked in the praise of a presidential candidate and his running mate, as Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan repeatedly endorsed him and implored the crowd to support the N.C. Republican as they campaigned throughout the state.

But at the end of the day, McCrory tried all he could to avoid any association with Ryan's controversial federal budget proposal, which would severely cut discretionary funding that trickles down to the states.

Asked what he thinks of Ryan's proposals, McCrory dodged: "I'm going to support the Romney plan," he said.

Are you worried about cuts to funding for states? Another tangential answer: "We've got to solve the deficit."

Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain led a delegation of GOP senators Monday in urging Democratic President Barack Obama to reopen budget negotiations to avoid what he called “devastating” defense cuts.

Appearing near the sprawling Fort Bragg Army base, the senator said the president had an obligation to help to work out an agreement with Congress to avoid the deep cuts to the military that will automatically go into effect in January unless a deal can be found. Read the full story here.

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--A busload of undocumented immigrants has departed for Charlotte, on its way to protest during the Democratic National Convention. The occupants will risk deportation to demonstrate in Mecklenburg County. The group will join hundreds of other illegal immigrants who could march during the convention, protest organizers said.

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield is facing tough questions about whether earmarks he put in the federal budget helped his own interests.

A Washington Post investigative analysis looked at 33 members of Congress who directed millions to their own districts for public projects near land owned by the lawmakers or their families. Butterfield, a Democrat who represents N.C.'s 1st Congressional District in the northeastern corner of the state, landed on the list for directing $817,500 to revitalize buildings in downtown Wilson. The Post found Butterfield owns 19 properties within three-quarters of a mile of the revitalization area.

A spokeswoman for Butterfield told the paper that the location of the projects "in no way influenced his decision," saying the city developed them without his consultation. (Read a full statement here.)