WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) issued the following statement on the House’s passage of H.R. 2157, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, or disaster relief funding, after a week of House obstruction: 

“Americans across the nation desperately need this disaster relief funding, especially in North Carolina where many are still struggling after Hurricane Florence,” said Senator Burr.  “It’s a shame this critical legislation was needlessly delayed in the House by political grandstanding. I’m pleased, however, that North Carolinian families, small businesses, and our military bases, including Camp Lejeune, will finally have the resources they need to rebuild and recover from this devastating storm. With this funding, North Carolina will also be better prepared to mitigate and respond to future natural disasters. I look forward to the President’s signature.”

“Since last fall, I have been working with Congressional Leadership to ensure our state receives the resources it needs to recover from Hurricane Florence,” said Senator Thom Tillis.  “After securing an initial down payment two weeks after the storm hit, I have pushed for additional relief for North Carolina’s farmers, communities, and military. Too many families continue to feel the effects of the devastation caused by Hurricane Florence, and I’m encouraged that we have finally put politics aside and are sending a bipartisan bill to the President’s desk that will allow North Carolina to continue its recovery.”

You can find a summary of the legislation here.

Background:

The Supplemental Appropriations Act included $19.1 billion to provide disaster relief for Americans impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and other natural disasters. 

Specifically, this funding includes:

• $381 million to repair damages to Marine Corps installations, including Camp Lejeune.
• $1 billion for the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies account to better support emergency preparation and repairs for floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
• $600 million for the planning and construction of projects to replace facilities damaged by Hurricanes Florence and Michael.
• $2.4 billion for Community Development Block Grants for disasters since 2017, and permits states to interchangeably use funds from Hurricane Matthew for Hurricane Florence.
• $3 billion for farm disaster assistance to cover producers’ losses stemming from the 2018 and 2019 natural disasters.
• $168 million in mitigation dollars, which were appropriated to North Carolina in 2018, to be distributed to the state within the next 90 days.

The Senate passed H.R. 2157 on May 23, 2019. 

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