Governor Cooper Urges President Trump, Congress to End Government Shutdown | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

Shutdown Threatens Funding for Efforts Including Hurricane Recovery, SNAP Benefits

    RALEIGH: Today, Governor Roy Cooper urged President Trump and members of Congress to end the federal government shutdown.

    "Each day the federal government shutdown continues, it delays long-term funds needed for Hurricane Florence recovery and threatens to hold up vital services for North Carolina families," Gov. Cooper said. "President Trump and members of Congress must work together to resolve the shutdown quickly and responsibly."

    The Cooper Administration is closely monitoring the effects of the federal shutdown on all North Carolina state government agencies and working to ease potential impacts.

    The shutdown delays the flow of federal funding for critical programs and services, including efforts to recover from devastating natural disasters like Hurricane Florence. For example, by delaying publication of the Federal Register, the shutdown pushes back the time when North Carolina can access its next round of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding for long-term hurricane recovery. The shutdown also limits state access to federal recovery experts.

    If the shutdown continues for weeks, funding for services like Temporary Assistance for Needy (TANF), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) could run out. The shutdown also halts federal loans for rural development projects, limits the capabilities of the U.S. Coast Guard and ceases Environmental Protection Agency operations.

    State budget and human resources experts are working directly with state agencies concerned about impacts to programs and employees that are funded by the federal government. Each agency determines how long they can pay for federally-funded employees using other sources of funds until or unless it becomes necessary to put affected employees on leave. State agencies anticipated the shutdown and planned accordingly, but the longer the federal government remains closed the more significant the impacts could be.

• Contact: Ford Porter
•     govpress@nc.gov