Disaster relief for western North Carolina at risk as Trump and Elon Musk kill government funding deal

Western North Carolina is still waiting for funding from Congress nearly three months after Hurricane Helene. If the government shuts down at midnight on Friday, as is increasingly likely, the region will continue to go without critical federal aid for the foreseeable future.

For 84 days, communities across western North Carolina have been waiting for help from Congress to rebuild entire towns and homes, and provide small businesses with a lifeline. 

The estimated cost of North Carolina’s recovery is around $60 billion, in an assessment released by the state in mid-December.

There had been hope that federal disaster relief would pass before this Friday’s deadline to avoid a government shutdown, and $100 billion had been included in a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) bill that seemed poised to pass as part of the deal. While the CR funding wouldn’t have covered the total cost of the recovery, North Carolina would receive over $9 billion if it passed. 

However, on Wednesday, with just over two days to go until the shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire ally and biggest campaign funder, Elon Musk, expressed angry opposition to the CR, putting needed funding for western North Carolina at risk. 

Musk says no more bills should pass until Trump is sworn in.

In dozens of posts to his social media website, X, Musk went on a tirade against the funding bill on Wednesday, even going so far as saying that no bills should be passed until Trump takes office on Jan. 20. 

Fletcher Mayor Preston Blakely told Cardinal & Pine on Thursday afternoon that such a delay would be devastating to his community and the western North Carolina region.

“That’s not feasible for us. We’ve been waiting since the end of September. That’s just not feasible for us. We have to have it. Letting the government shutdown is a failure to western North Carolina. Not passing any bills until Trump’s sworn in? That’s a failure to western North Carolina,” he said.

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers said that such a delay in aid to his community and western North Carolina would be “devastating and disrespectful.”

Boone Mayor Pro-Tem Dalton George called on Musk and Trump to use their influence to push for a clean bill that provided critical aid to western North Carolina, as well as other communities across the US impacted by natural disasters.

“They wield immense power with the public. The reality is that Elon Musk tweeted ‘this CR, was bipartisan, wasn’t good’ and then it was killed. Trump as well,” George said. “What I would tell them is, ‘you also hold the power to spread the message that Congress needs a western North Carolina relief bill, regardless of politics, regardless of the incoming Congress.”

Growing frustration with Congress among western NC lawmakers

Musk began his Wednesday tirade with a 4:15 am EST post to X which read, “This bill should not pass.” 

In response, outgoing Republican Congressman Dan Bishop replied, “Good enough for me.”

State Rep. Lindsey Prather hit back at Bishop’s remarks on Thursday, saying “We have, in real time, one of our state’s own congressmen choosing to support an unelected billionaire over his own people.” 

Smathers expressed frustration at Congress for not delivering for western North Carolina. 

“It is very likely that Congress and the Senate will leave DC, they’ll go back to their homes and their businesses, and the people of western North Carolina will be abandoned. And it will be months until much needed help is provided.”

Smathers did, however, praise members of North Carolina’s delegation — including Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, and Congressman Chuck Edwards for their leadership in pushing for funding. 

“The leaders of North Carolina at the federal level did their job,” he said.

Tillis announced on Thursday afternoon that he would filibuster any bill that does not include funding for western North Carolina.

Inaction would crush Western NC’s character and small businesses

Tourism is the lifeblood of many communities and businesses in western North Carolina.

In Buncombe County alone, the tourism industry faces an estimated 70% loss in the fourth quarter of this year, a crushing $584 million shortfall.

In Watauga County, George says the fallout from Helene could cripple communities like Boone and small businesses throughout western North Carolina. 

“The hard part is keeping these businesses afloat,” he explained. “Every business owner I’ve talked to, they’ve had to take out loans while they’re still paying off their Covid loans. They’re struggling.” 

Blakely echoed this sentiment. 

“Our businesses are on the decline. October is our highest grossing month for businesses because of tourists. We lost all of that,” he said.

There is fear that small businesses may not survive, which George says will alter the character of places like Boone. 

“In western North Carolina, our lifeblood is that tourism during the fall season…that’s going to result in people losing their jobs, it’s going to result in people losing their livelihoods, and it’s going to result in a loss of culture,” he said. “The failure on this federal spending is going to hurt small businesses of western North Carolina the most.” 

Smathers said that farmers will also be heavily impacted if the $100 billion package is not passed by Congress. The bill was set to provide farmers across the country with tens of billions of dollars.

“Farming and agriculture has been so important to this region. But it’s also more and more difficult for family farms and the agriculture businesses to remain when we keep losing land to development. These are the types of actions that have long-lasting consequences,” he said.

Haywood County has lost nearly 30,000 acres of farmland in the past four decades and Helene alone resulted in nearly a $1 billion loss for the agriculture industry in the state, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said earlier this month.

Blakely echoed the concerns of farmers and the loss of crops from the hurricane. “Our farmers are suffering. We have incredible crop losses.” 

With the funding from the federal government looking uncertain, Prather expressed frustration that her colleagues in the General Assembly have failed to do more for the western NC community. 

“Absolutely the legislature needs to go back and pass more funding, but it’s not going to happen until at least the end of January,” she said. “How many small businesses and residents will western North Carolina lose between now and then?”