Republican senators from North Carolina and South Carolina insisted that disaster relief be included in any spending deal and passed before they go on vacation. They also threatened obstruction if relief was left out of the package.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina added that President-elect Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for including disaster aid in the package.
“At the end of the day, people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, the list goes on, Tennessee, need relief today because everyone needs to understand “We’re talking about a possible government shutdown here in Washington while parts of this country that were hit by the storm are actually shut down, and until we fund them, they won’t have any hope,” he said. Tillis said.
He went on to say he was torn between trying to block a vote on a possible funding bill if it doesn’t include disaster relief funds. Tillis added that “you will hear these stories in the Senate for as long as my voice and the voices of my colleagues can be heard.”
Tillis also said Trump agreed with his position on the importance of disaster relief as part of government funding. The senator also said he agreed with Trump’s disapproval of the resolution upheld yesterday.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina echoed Tillis, saying “disaster relief is an absolute necessity to get my vote and support.”
Asked if Trump hurt their chances of passing disaster relief by opposing the plan and demanding the debt ceiling be addressed, Tillis and Graham told CNN’s Manu Raju that they agreed with Trump that the original deal was too big – and Tillis added that he would support removing the debt ceiling altogether.
“I think President Trump and I agree that I don’t even know why we keep going through the debt ceiling drama,” Tillis said.