Or even more direct. Something like, "Democrats tried to pay for all Helene cleanup. Republicans took the money away and gave it to billionaires."
Good email from Jeff Jackson today --
Yesterday, I stood outside a heavily damaged sewage pump station in Hillsborough and gave a press conference.
It was about 91 degrees. Reporters were sweating.
I’m suing FEMA.
Why?
Because they illegally cancelled more than $200 million that was headed to North Carolina for water and sewer upgrades.
It was basically a flood preparation fund. Congress created it, funded it, and told FEMA to run it.
Before FEMA pulled the plug, they had approved over 60 projects across our state - mostly moving pump stations and sewer lines to higher ground.
A few examples:
- $22.5m for Salisbury to move a pump station. The city already spent $3m of its own funds getting started.
- $5.9m for Gastonia to move sewer lines out of the floodplain.
- $4m for Mt. Pleasant to improve drainage in the town center, which regularly floods and damages businesses.
And then there’s the Hillsborough pump station, where I spoke yesterday. It was set to receive $6m to move to higher ground. Also cancelled by FEMA.
But here’s the thing:
Three weeks ago, a tropical storm hit. The nearby river rose 24 feet and submerged the entire station.
Millions of gallons of untreated sewage poured into the river.
I spotlighted this pump station because it’s a perfect example of why this funding matters - and what happens when it’s taken away.
Most people agree that keeping drinking water flowing and sewage contained is a legitimate use of public dollars. I appreciate that Sen. Tillis and Rep. Edwards have also urged FEMA to reverse course.
Heck, President Trump signed this program into law in his first term. He wanted it.
So we’re going to court, along with a number of AGs, and I’ll report back.