‘We’re Hanging on by a Thread’: Asheville NC Resident Begs Trump and Congress to Pass Budget and Hurricane Aid
With billions of federal aid dollars hanging in the balance, North Carolina’s small business leaders are begging Congress to pass a spending bill to help the region recover from the brutal hurricane season.
“It is incredibly frustrating and disheartening,” Ashville, NC, restaurateur Katie Button told CNN about watching the politics at play. “The entire community of western North Carolina and the state of North Carolina is watching this with, you know, biting our nails while we’re watching it, because we desperately need this disaster relief bill to go through.
“Basically, we’re hanging on by a thread and it feels kind of ridiculous to feel like you’re caught up in the crossfire of some kind of political showdown when what we really need is for our elected officials and our president-elect using his influence to come together, put their party designation aside, and get this money passed,” she added.
Congress has until midnight Friday to pass a spending bill or face a government shutdown in time for the holidays. President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk derailed a bipartisan deal earlier this week.
CNN’s Pamela Brown said some $9 billion in federal aid was in the budget for North Carolina alone.
“Talk to me about what that money would do for the state and for your town,” Brown said.
“It was to provide support for western North Carolina in many different ways, but one that is particularly, you know, kind of important for me is aid for small businesses,” Button said, continuing:
Ashville is a community of passionate small businesses, whether it’s restaurants, artists, breweries, you name it. And we have faced catastrophic economic damage through closures due to the storm. And then, also, just decreased tourism because people don’t want to travel to an area recently hit by a hurricane. So, we are hanging on by a thread. Most people I speak to are having their insurance claims denied. They don’t have any funding and they are depending on this disaster relief bill to provide them some support so that they don’t have to permanently close.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
