North Carolina leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with the Trump administration and members of Congress on Thursday to discuss a relief funding request of $13.5 billion Hurricane Helene recovery.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, along with officials from Buncombe, Ashe, Haywood, Madison, and Rutherford counties, met with U.S. Reps. Alma Adams, Addison McDowell, Don David, Chuck Edwards, Valerie Foushee, Virginia Foxx, Pat Harrigan, Richard Hudson, Greg Murphy, Tim Moore, and Deborah Ross.
They also met with U.S. Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, as well as Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, to advocate for increased investments in western North Carolina.
“It’s been nearly a year since Hurricane Helene, and while we are grateful for every dollar of federal support we have received, we need more,” Stein said in a statement. “I was pleased to meet with the Trump administration and members of our Congressional delegation to advocate for an additional $13.5 billion to strengthen western North Carolina’s recovery, getting folks back in their homes, boosting small businesses, supporting local governments, and repairing critical infrastructure.”
Stein’s proposal calls on Congress to approve new appropriations for recovery relief that include $8 billion for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to help rebuild homes, critical infrastructure, and small businesses.
Approximately $400 million has been requested for the Small Business Administration to provide forgivable small business loans while businesses work to restore revenue. Stein is also requesting $1.6 billion in funds for the U.S. Department of Transportation to restore infrastructure and roads, including I-40, which has only had temporary repairs.
To help local governments fund police, fire protection, trash collection, hazard insurance, revenue collection, and public facility maintenance, nearly $2 billion has been requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Stein is also asking for previously approved funding through the American Relief Act, passed while former President Joe Biden was in office, to be allocated to North Carolina, bringing the total funding request to nearly $23 billion.
