It’s Hurricane Season– Why Is the GOP Forcing Us to Tread Water?
We’re quickly approaching the peak of another hurricane season, and Republican leaders– both at the state and federal level– are continuing to hamper North Carolina’s ability to respond to severe storms.
President Trump has been at war with crucial federal agencies since day one, including the National Weather Service (NWS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The NWS and NOAA help us prepare for storms; FEMA supports local governments with response and recovery efforts in the aftermath.
The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) significantly reduced NOAA’s staff, research capacity, and data-sharing capabilities. As a result, the NWS lost close to 600 staff at a time when 40% of weather forecast offices were already facing significant vacancies. A former NOAA administrator argued that these cuts prevented Texas communities from receiving urgent weather alerts prior to the severe flooding this summer.
Beyond the cuts, the Trump administration has also delayed millions of dollars in FEMA funding to North Carolina. These funds, meant to help rebuild roads and bridges as well as repair waste water treatment centers, are now being held up by a new and restrictive budget process. It’s a ton of red tape for an agency where speed is key, a lot of added government bureaucracy for a political party that supposedly opposes it.
Over 100 projects in 10 states are still awaiting payment for previously approved projects. These problems could become even worse if Trump follows through on a plan to “wean off of FEMA,” suggesting that the agency could be closed altogether.
Unfortunately, Republicans in the NC General Assembly are also underfunding recovery efforts. They recently failed to provide grants to small businesses recovering from Helene, and their series of relief bills have routinely fallen short of Gov. Cooper and Gov. Stein’s requests.
And since Republican lawmakers haven’t been able to come to an agreement on a final state budget, North Carolina’s Savings Reserve Fund (i.e. the state’s rainy day fund), has not been replenished. The fund is down 30% from its peak, which is as important as ever given the hesitance of the Trump administration to deliver on recovery funding requests.
It seems like just yesterday when Hurricane Helene ripped through the South, bringing historic flooding to Western North Carolina. Folks are still rebuilding. They will be for years to come.
And as we rebuild, there’s currently a storm developing in the Atlantic– Tropical Storm Erin. It’s too early to predict how it could affect North Carolina or the East Coast as a whole, but early models show that it could hit North Carolina, and hit it hard. And there are of course more storms to come.
Rebuilding roads, revitalizing small businesses, getting lives back on track– this is what our leaders are failing to fully fund. We’re facing a flood of problems, and far too many of our elected officials are content with just treading water.
Despite these setbacks, we can’t give up on doing all we can to support our rebuilding communities. As Gov. Stein put it, “We’re going to keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing. I’m not giving up hope yet.”
Don’t give up hope yet– keep pushing your legislators to fully fund hurricane recovery efforts and to restore funding to these crucial federal agencies. Our neighbors are depending on it.
