WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr sent a bipartisan letter led by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) urging congressional leaders to promptly pass disaster supplemental funding legislation to help communities recover in the aftermath of recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Florence.
In the wake of Hurricane Florence making landfall in North Carolina, Tillis and Burr immediately began working with the North Carolina Congressional Delegation to secure disaster relief funding for the areas affected by the storm. Tillis and Burr successfully secured an initial down-payment of $1.68 billion in disaster relief funding, with a majority of those dollars going to North Carolina, just three weeks after Florence made landfall.
Tillis, Burr, and Rubio were joined by Senators Doug Jones (D-AL), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tim Scott (R-SC), David Perdue (R-GA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy:
We write to urge prompt consideration of a bipartisan and bicameral disaster supplemental appropriations measure to infuse communities across the nation with much needed resources in the aftermath of recent natural disasters. As you are well aware, last year produced catastrophic hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that have left our communities in need of federal assistance to continue their recovery efforts. We are deeply concerned these state and local governments will not have the necessary resources needed to address critical issues, including defense capabilities, agriculture, infrastructure and economic development that are crucial to our constituents and businesses in hard hit areas.
Both sides of the Capitol must work together with the administration to come to a solution that addresses the needs of our home states, which have been forced to shoulder the burden of recovery efforts without the necessary assets. Unfortunately, Congress has delayed providing this aid for too long while our communities face the consequences of our inaction.
Congress has a responsibility to appropriate disaster funding and assist our states which are facing daily challenges trying to rebuild and restore. As such, we insist you bring a disaster supplemental bill to the floor for consideration at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the federal government fulfills its responsibility.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, and we look forward to continuing our work.
Sincerely,
Sen. Thom Tillis
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