Republican senators from North and South Carolina said no government funding bill would be acceptable to them without including relief for states devastated by natural disasters.
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Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina entered the meeting with a large stack of papers he said were messages from constituents pleading for aid after Hurricane Helene.
“When you’re in the middle of a crisis, I don’t think anybody’s going to want to hear somebody come to the floor, and talk about fiscal responsibility instead of getting these people a home again, or giving them an opportunity to open up a business again and employ people,” Tillis told reporters.
Tillis made clear he would filibuster any funding bill that does not include disaster relief.
“I agree that CR had bad things in it,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who also said disaster relief “is not pork,” or perceived wasteful spending.
