Asheville Reporter

Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) expressed gratitude to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for visiting Western North Carolina to assess the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, emphasizing his commitment to support the affected communities. He also acknowledged the long and challenging recovery process ahead for residents impacted by the storm.

“Grateful to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for making the time to join Sen. Thom Tillis, Rep. Chuck Edwards, and me to see the catastrophic damage in WNC,” Sen. Budd wrote in an Oct. 10 social media post on X. “The road ahead is going to be long and difficult for these North Carolinians, but they have my commitment that we will be with them every step of the way.”

As reported by Old North News, Budd recently criticized the Biden-Harris administration for what he called a misallocation of resources, particularly pointing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) announcement that it may lack sufficient funds to cover the remainder of the hurricane season. Budd blasted the administration for spending over $1.4 billion to house illegal migrants while simultaneously claiming FEMA is underfunded. 

“It’s outrageous that the Biden-Harris administration claims that FEMA may not have the money to make it through hurricane season after they allocated over $1.4 billion to house illegal aliens who should have never been in this country,” Budd posted on X.

FEMA's funding concerns were revealed by Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas on October 3, as reported by Axios. His comments followed Hurricane Helene, which left a trail of devastation across six southeastern states, requiring significant rebuilding efforts. Vice President Kamala Harris later announced that storm victims with immediate needs, such as food and baby formula, could apply for $750 in FEMA relief.

Budd’s criticisms echo frustrations shared by other Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who on the Oct. 6 edition of Meet the Press accused the administration of mismanaging resources. Cotton highlighted that while the administration can find money for non-emergency priorities like student loan relief, it struggles to allocate funds for urgent disaster recovery needs. “This administration seems to have no problem finding money when they want to spend it on their priorities... when it's trying to get helicopters to deliver food and water and life-saving medicine into these mountain valleys, they somehow can't seem to find the money," Cotton said.

In addition to Budd's criticism, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) condemned the administration for sending $157 million in aid to Lebanon while only allocating $100 million for North Carolina’s recovery efforts. “This shows you their priorities are not America First,” Mast wrote in an Oct. 5 social media post on X. 

Despite the ongoing political dispute over disaster relief funding, organizations like Samaritan’s Purse are on the ground providing immediate assistance. The Boone-based Christian relief organization is helping with efforts in Western North Carolina by tarping roofs, clearing debris, and mudding out homes. "While the flood waters continue to recede, the spiritual and physical needs will remain for weeks and months ahead," the organization said.