Furious Republican blocks Trump nominee over slow release of FEMA disaster money

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) is so furious about the delays in funds for Hurricane Helene recovery that he's blocking President Donald Trump's nominee to the Department of Homeland Security.

Punchbowl News' Andrew Desiderio reported Tuesday that Budd voted against DHS nominee Robert Law. His office then released a statement linking the two issues together.

"Sen. Budd is deeply concerned by the slow approval and distribution of funding from the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA for Hurricane Helene recovery," the statement said.

Secretary Kristi Noem announced that she would give an additional $28 million to the state, but it came about a week after Rep. Alma S. Adams (D-NC) called her out for withholding $100 million-plus in FEMA funds for the state.

“Over the last year, the people of Western North Carolina have displayed incredible bravery and resiliency as they recover from Hurricane Helene, but they still aren’t getting the federal support they deserve,” said Rep Adams in a statement. “Sec. Noem continues to withhold more than $100 million in critical funding already approved by FEMA, hurting the ability for these communities to serve their residents. My colleagues and I in the North Carolina Congressional Delegation fought hard to secure relief funding for Western North Carolina because we know this isn’t a partisan issue. It is unacceptable that the administration keeps delaying the money our constituents are owed."

"The current way that we handle disasters at the federal level cannot sustain itself," Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers told The Charlottesville Observer.

The Texas flood recovery has experienced the same problem, CNN reported in July. Noem instituted a rule that any spending over $100,000 requires her personal sign-off before funds can be released. It adds even more red tape to an already cumbersome process.

“We were operating under a clear set of guidance: lean forward, be prepared, anticipate what the state needs, and be ready to deliver it,” a longtime FEMA official told CNN. “That is not as clear of an intent for us at the moment.”