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Roy Cooper
stated on December 3, 2024 in comments to reporters:
North Carolina Republicans “took money out of western North Carolina” with Hurricane Helene relief bill.
true half-true
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, right, and Deanne Criswell, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, await the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris for a briefing on the damage from Hurricane Helene, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, right, and Deanne Criswell, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, await the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris for a briefing on the damage from Hurricane Helene, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, right, and Deanne Criswell, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, await the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris for a briefing on the damage from Hurricane Helene, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Paul Specht
By Paul Specht January 29, 2025

Roy Cooper says Hurricane Helene relief bill ‘took money’ from hurricane victims. Not exactly.

If Your Time is short

  • North Carolina legislators enacted a bill that eliminates the governor’s power to boost unemployment benefits during states of emergency.
     
  • The law takes effect March 1, when the current state of emergency is scheduled to expire.
     
  • Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper argued that Hurricane Helene victims will still need the enhanced benefits after March 1.

North Carolina legislators in December enacted a storm relief bill that simultaneously reduced legal powers for the offices of the governor and other seats won by Democrats.

The bill became law Dec. 11 after the Republican-majority state legislature voted to override then-Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. Cooper, a Democrat, had argued the bill strips money from Hurricane Helene victims, who were still rebuilding after the September storm ravaged western Western North Carolina. 

Before the Legislature voted to override Cooper’s veto, the governor told reporters on Dec. 3 that the bill "took away the next governor's authority to continue enhanced unemployment payments from people who lost their job because of the storm." 

"So, they actually took money out of western North Carolina," he said.

Cooper made similar claims on social media later that day.

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In an X post, Cooper said the bill "hurts Western North Carolina by stripping away higher unemployment benefits for people who lost jobs from the storm." The post also included a clip of Cooper speaking on MSNBC, saying Republicans "actually took money away from western North Carolina."

Does the bill really take money away from western North Carolina?

The law ends the governor’s ability to boost unemployment benefits amid a state emergency, something Cooper did after Helene. That could mean that North Carolinians won’t receive higher benefits in the future. But the law doesn’t include a provision that would withdraw any money that has already been allocated to people in the western part of the state. When Cooper made this statement, the bill had not yet become law, so his use of the past tense may have confused some North Carolinians.

It’s also worth noting that unemployment aid is far from the only way the state has been helping Helene victims. Beyond the immediate response that included hundreds of state and federal workers on the ground, the Republican-led state legislature has also approved more than $1 billion in Helene aid relief. That’s a fraction of the nearly $4 billion in aid Cooper called for while governor, though state lawmakers say they plan to do more in the future.

The power in question

Helene hit North Carolina on Sept. 27, bringing 30 inches of rain, causing more than 1,400 landslides. It was the deadliest and most damaging in state history. According to an estimate by the state’s budget director, Helene damaged about 74,000 western North Carolina homes — only about 5% of which were covered by flood insurance.

On Oct. 16, Cooper issued an executive order that raised the maximum weekly unemployment benefit from $350 per week to $600 per week and extended eligibility from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for Helene victims. Cooper cited powers granted to him under the state's Emergency Management Act when announcing the order. The increased amount was available to anyone seeking unemployment benefits in North Carolina — not just Helene victims.

Unemployment benefit payouts increased by more than 10,000 cases after Helene hit North Carolina, according to data provided by the state commerce department.

In August, 19,271 people received benefits. The number dipped to 17,981 in September, then shot up to 27,385 in October and rose to 31,547 by the end of the year.

Republican leaders don’t believe the Emergency Management Act authorizes the governor to boost unemployment benefits, so they included a section in Senate Bill 382 to "correct a misapprehension of the powers conferred to the governor," the bill states. It also says the law "does not allow for the governor to waive, modify, suspend, or fail to enforce or execute" the laws related to employment security.

Cooper’s claim that Republicans "took" money out of western North Carolina could give the impression that money going to Helene victims, or that was scheduled to go to Helene victims, is being revoked. But that’s not so.

Delayed effect of the bill

The bill says the enhanced employment security benefits won’t end until March 1, when North Carolina’s state of emergency is scheduled to expire.

"This does not take money from Western North Carolina and does not impact a single dollar of unemployment benefits currently flowing to employees in that area," Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, told PolitiFact in a statement.

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Cooper’s office didn’t dispute that the bill leaves the current unemployment benefits untouched, but argued that Helene victims will likely still need the enhanced benefits after March 1, so withdrawing the governor’s ability to increase those payments will have significant consequences for people struggling to rebuild.

Gov. Josh Stein, also a Democrat, is expected to extend the state of emergency beyond March 1, Cooper’s office said last month, before Stein was sworn in. States of emergency for less-devastating hurricanes lasted longer than six months. For example, North Carolina was under a state of emergency for 15 months following 2018’s Hurricane Florence.

"Because Republican legislators are shortchanging western North Carolina recovery, especially the small business grants that are desperately needed to support the economy, residents out west will need enhanced unemployment benefits beyond next March," Cooper spokesperson Ben Conroy said.

"The Legislature's shameful decision to rip this power away from future governors only harms North Carolinians who need support to recover from this and future natural disasters," Conroy said.

Laura Brewer, a Stein spokesperson, told PolitiFact that the new governor hasn’t decided whether to extend the state of emergency, adding that there are many options "to help them rebuild and recover, including support for those who have lost their jobs, homes, and businesses."

Our ruling

Cooper said North Carolina Republicans "took money out of western North Carolina" when they passed a Hurricane Helene relief bill last month.

Legislators stripped the governor’s power to enhance unemployment benefits using the state’s Emergency Management Act. 

Cooper has a point in that if the state of emergency is extended without the bill in place, unemployed Helene victims could continue to receive enhanced benefits beyond March 1.

But the bill did not claw back or halt enhanced unemployment benefits that are scheduled to be available through March 1.

We rate his claim Half True.

Our Sources

North Carolina Senate Bill 382, enacted Dec. 11, 2025.

X post by the North Carolina Governor’s Office, Dec. 3, 2024.

Gov. Roy Cooper comments to WRAL reporters after the Dec. 3,2024 Council of State meeting.

Unemployment data  provided by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Press release by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Oct. 16, 2024.

Press release by North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger, Oct. 9, 2024.

Email interview with Lauren Horsch, spokesperson for Republican Senate leader Phil Berger.

Email interview with Jordan Monaghan and Ben Conroy, spokespeople for North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

Statement by Laura Brewer, a spokesperson for North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein.

WRAL, "Amid protests, Senate overrides Cooper's veto of bill stripping power from governor, other Democratic officials," Dec. 2, 2024; "Cooper signs executive order to increase weekly unemployment benefits after Helene," Oct. 16, 2024.

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Roy Cooper says Hurricane Helene relief bill ‘took money’ from hurricane victims. Not exactly.

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