Under the Dome: Latest on hurricane relief, as a leader exits and Stein seeks more funding
Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Emmy Martin.
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi has the latest developments on hurricane recovery efforts.
First is the resignation of Richard Trumper, senior adviser for disaster recovery at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Trumper joined the public safety department after Secretary Eddie Buffaloe asked for his input on improving the Rebuild NC program, which the department oversees.
In a February 2023 interview with The News & Observer, Trumper said he was “absolutely hoping there are no more storms and we work ourselves out of jobs and we don’t have to try to work to get families home. I want to know that everybody’s home.”
Rebuild NC, which received $778 million in federal funding to repair and replace Eastern North Carolina homes damaged by hurricanes Matthew and Florence, has faced sharp criticism for its slow progress.
As of December, about 1,200 homes remained incomplete, though the pace of recovery had picked up in recent months. But the program needs more money to finish work, requesting in January an additional $217 million.
Lisa Sorg of Inside Climate News first reported Trumper’s departure. He submitted his resignation on Feb. 17, and his last day will be March 18, according to Jody Donaldson, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety.
Storm relief in Western North Carolina
In news affecting the other end of the state, as Western North Carolina recovers from Helene, the state is expected to get $1.4 billion in federal funding for long-term housing and rebuilding projects.
The state has released a plan on how to use the money, and the public can comment on it until March 19. Once the plan is finalized, it’s submitted to the federal government for approval.
Also in Helene news, Gov. Josh Stein called Thursday for $19 billion in federal recovery funds — an increase from Tuesday, when he said he would ask Congress for another $13 billion to $14 billion.
This would be in addition to the estimated $15.7 billion already set aside by the federal government for North Carolina. Damage in Western North Carolina is estimated at $60 billion. Meanwhile, at the state level, lawmakers have committed more than $900 million for relief and are expected to provide more.
Stein submitted a federal funding request to President Donald Trump and members of Congress on Thursday, outlining the money needed and where it would be allocated.
Stein met with Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd on Thursday to advocate for the money, according to a press release.
“Our state is facing nearly $60 billion in damages,” Stein said in a statement. “Despite a focused response from federal, state, local, and private sector and nonprofit partners in the immediate aftermath, five months later, it is clear that much more help is needed to restore and rebuild western North Carolina.”
The requested funds would go toward rebuilding homes, repairing infrastructure, providing resources to local governments, supporting businesses, and preparing for future natural disasters, among other things.
STEIN APPOINTED TO THE COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS AS CO-CHAIR
President Donald Trump appointed Democratic Gov. Josh Stein on Wednesday to the National Governors Association’s Council of Governors, a bipartisan group focused on strengthening state-federal partnerships.
Stein was designated co-chair of the council alongside Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican.
“Together this bipartisan group will strengthen state-federal partnerships on national security and disaster response,” Youngkin said in a post on X.
Stein is the second North Carolina governor to be on the Council of Governors. Former Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue served on the council in 2010 and 2011. Ten governors sit on the council, five from each party, and serve two-year terms.
The other governors on the council include Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, and South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.
The council lists its key issues as supporting the National Guard and families of military members, improving disaster response and recovery, building cybersecurity partnerships and resilience, and informing federal budgetary considerations.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
The state Supreme Court on Thursday declined a request from the State Board of Elections to immediately take up Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin’s challenge of more than 65,000 ballots in his race for the high court, Kyle Ingram reports. Instead, the case will go to the Court of Appeals, where Griffin says he will not take part in deciding it.
Recent layoffs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, part of sweeping layoffs at multiple federal agencies, have affected early-career employees at the agency’s Research Triangle Park campus, Brian Gordon reports. The campus is the EPA’s biggest and focuses on air-quality regulations. Local cuts impacted “probationary” staff who have been at the EPA for less than two years and were easier to dismiss under their contracts. The EPA said it fired 388 probationary employees overall on Friday “after a thorough review of agency functions in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders.”
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved Trump’s nomination of Linda McMahon, a North Carolina native, to lead the Department of Education on Thursday, Danielle Battaglia reports. The 12-11 vote was down party lines, with Democrats opposed. McMahon’s nomination now heads to the Senate floor, where she would need approval from a majority of senators.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING
Sen. Thom Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about “credible death threats” while he was considering voting against President Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman writes, citing one source with direct knowledge of the events. In the end, Tillis threw his support behind Hegseth in a closely divided confirmation vote. Hegseth was confirmed in a 51-50 vote.
Today’s newsletter was by Emmy Martin and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi. Check your inbox Sunday for more #ncpol.
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This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
