(RALEIGH) -- Republican lawmakers have tied the extension of unemployment benefits to a stop-gap spending measure in the event that a formal budget plan is not in place by June 30. The House and Senate approved the measure on Thursday.

The stop-gap plan cuts spending 13 percent across the board, a move Democrats oppose. But if Governor Perdue vetoes the legislation, it will cut off unemployment payments to approximately 37,000 North Carolinians whose benefits run out Saturday.

Senate Democratic Leader Martin Nesbitt said unemployed workers should not be caught in the middle of a budget fight. "They should not be collateral damage to a fight about separation of powers and they should not be drug into the battles that you may have with the governor over vetoes, etc.," said Nesbitt.

House Speaker Thom Tillis said he expects Perdue will veto the bill.  "And I think she does so at the expense of 37,000 people not receiving income next week and she does so at the expense of 10s of thousands of state employees wondering what July may look like if we don't get the budget done," said Tillis.

A rare Saturday session is planned to ratify the bill before sending it the governor.