NC Republicans hijack Hurricane Helene relief bill in shameful GOP power grab

North Carolina Republicans hit a new low this week – even for a party known for the ways they’ve tried to subvert democracy in the state.

On Wednesday, the state’s House of Representatives overturned Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 382. The new law moves $227 million into a relief fund while taking power away from the state’s governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and state superintendent – all positions won by Democrats in the 2024 election.

“To use folks’ incredible need for aid as a cloak for their political pettiness is frankly despicable,” Gov.-elect Josh Stein wrote on X.

The North Carolina GOP is known for its antics, but this is heinous. Hurricane Helene was devastating for the western part of the state. The storm led to the deaths of 103 people. Asheville didn’t have clean drinking water for 52 days. Some towns will never fully recover. Using a bill for hurricane relief as a way of restricting Democrats is just shameful.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/12/15/north-carolina-republicans-cooper-helene-relief-funds/76944666007/