RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sen. Thom Tillis on Wednesday said North Carolina's slow use of federal hurricane relief funding has left him with little leverage in Washington.
- Sen. Thom Tillis wants to let cities and counties bypass the state under some circumstances to access federal disaster aid
- The governor's office said this could lead to a patchwork aid system
- North Carolina has spent 7% of its federal disaster relief to date
The Department of Housing and Urban Development classifies North Carolina as a slow spender when it comes to disaster relief. To date, HUD data shows the state has spent about 7% of the more than $236 million in block grants it was awarded to help survivors of Hurricane Matthew rebuild. No money has yet been approved for survivors of Hurricane Florence. For comparison, South Carolina has received more than $221 million and has spent about 66%.
Tillis, R-North Carolina, said it's hard for him to ask for more aid for North Carolina with so much already on the table. He said he will file legislation to allow cities and counties to ask for direct access to federal grant money if the state doesn't disburse federal aid in a timely manner.
“What we're trying to do is bypass, in many instances, any sort of federal bureaucracy that we don't need to and stand up capabilities in HUD to administer the programs,” he said.
Sadie Weiner, director of communications for Gov. Roy Cooper's office, said North Carolina can't start using federal aid money until its plans get the green light. She said much of the Hurricane Matthew money did not become available until this month and none of the Hurricane Florence money has been approved yet.
“We really need Senator Tillis in Washington doing his job to help get us that money instead of holding political press conferences here in Raleigh,” she said.
Tillis said he will file his bill when Congress returns after Labor Day.