Budd presses Congress for more Helene recovery aid

US Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, speaking before a Senate Appropriations Committee, July 21, 2026. Source: US Sen. Ted Budd’s YouTube Channel.

On Tuesday, US Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, testified at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing about how the need for additional disaster relief funding would benefit western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene almost two years ago.

Helene caused an estimated $60 billion in damage in the state.

The hearing was held to review President Donald Trump’s supplemental funding request made in June.

He remarked that Congress approved billions of dollars in disaster supplemental funding in December 2024, three months after the storm struck, and the North Carolina General Assembly’s $2.4 billion in state appropriations and redirecting more than $2 billion from state agencies for reconstruction.

But, despite the response, Budd said the mountainous terrain made it difficult for federal programs to progress, resulting in delays and efficiencies and that more work needs to be done and more funding is needed.

“Too many projects in western North Carolina have stalled due to insufficient funding, or because of financial shortfalls from expensive debris removal and rebuilding efforts,” he said Tuesday.

FEMA Bureaucracy

At a North Carolina Joint Legislative Governmental Operations Subcommittee hearing in September, state and local officials said at the time that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s bureaucracy had been a hindrance, not a help.

“Our biggest obstacle moving forward is the lack of clarity and consistent guidance from FEMA,” said Avery County Commissioner Dennis Aldridge, who spoke at the hearing. “Every time we get close to the finish line, they change the goal posts. We’re willing to connect the dots, just don’t keep moving the dots, and every time that we get close, something changes.”

Aldridge also said that FEMA was causing problems with what debris can and cannot be removed.

Matt Calabria, director for the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), said at the September hearing that while residents had been approved for $517 million in FEMA assistance, the state has only received a little over 10% in federal funding to cover damage from the storm after requesting 48%.

He criticized FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which is designed to buy out damaged homes. The federal government pays 75%, and the state pays the remaining 25%.

HMGP requires authorization on the front end, with former US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem instituting a signature requirement at that time for all expenditures over $100,000, which significantly held up the process.

Budd said on Tuesday that while he greatly appreciates that the president and US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin have empowered FEMA to more rapidly reimburse state and local governments for public assistance projects, FEMA is only one part of the equation, noting that the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other federal agencies play a key role in disaster recovery, and much of the existing disaster funding for those agencies has already been largely allocated.

“When I visit western North Carolina, I still see the impacts the delays in recovery have caused,” the senator said. “Debris still clogs waterways. Facilities that provide drinking water and manage wastewater have yet to be rebuilt. Most concerning, some homeowners are paying mortgages on properties that are still unlivable or yet to be rebuilt.”

Towns in the area, Budd said, have been forced to embrace expensive short-term stopgap solutions just to carry basic functions for their residents. He gave Beech Mountain as an example. Their long-term water supply was destroyed after the town’s dam and water damage treatment plant were heavily damaged, causing them to be out of compliance with state safety standards. As a result, the state could fine Beech Mountain $25,000 per day.

“Major repairs are needed so that the water treatment plant can function long-term,” he said. “If funded, this process will take at least a year, and require significant diversion of utilities and/or daily water trucks, just so hundreds of residents will have clean drinking water during construction. Three years is too long to wait after a disaster. We can’t delay any longer.”

The Davie County native also spoke about how the tourism industry, which he said is the lifeblood of western North Carolina, has started to rebound, but there are still many areas that are unable to accommodate the travelers they once welcomed.

In addition to the issues still plaguing the area, Budd did highlight success stories as result of funding from the last disaster supplemental, along with planning and project execution, including the partial reopening of the Blue Ridge Parkway in July 2025 after 57 landslides struck 200 miles of the parkway, and the reopening of Lake Lure this past Memorial Day weekend.

The senator reiterated his position that he took in June that he wouldn’t support a supplemental funding request from the president if it didn’t include additional Helene recovery funding for WNC.

The Office of Management and Budget stated that the $87.6 billion request to Congress is needed to fill urgent needs such as Operation Epic Fury, the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, and American farmers.

“I want to be clear that I fully support President Trump’s request to replenish our munitions stockpile and strengthen our military,” Budd said. “I am also appreciative of his efforts to provide economic assistance to farmers impacted by disasters and unfair trade practices. However, to address the long-term recovery needs of western North Carolina, more federal funds are needed.”

He closed with stressing the need to remember western North Carolinians who are still rebuilding their lives nearly two years after the costliest natural disaster on record in the state.

“Every time I’m in western North Carolina, people ask me to make sure that they’re not forgotten,” Budd stated. “This is Congress’s chance to remind them that we’re serious about helping them get back on their feet.”

Additional Interest Relief for Victims of Hurricane Helene

On Wednesday, the North Carolina Department of Revenue issued a press release regarding a important notice to provide information on additional interest relief available to certain taxpayers affected by Hurricane Helene provided in Session Law 2026-31.

The additional interest relief is available to eligible taxpayers for franchise, corporate income, individual income (including partnership and estate and trust tax) and withholding tax.

The notice includes the following information: