Disaster Relief on the Line: NC Rep. Moore Helps Avert Federal Shutdown

When the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open through November 21, 2025, one lawmaker from North Carolina made clear why the vote mattered for his state. Rep. Tim Moore, a Republican, cast his vote for the measure while underscoring the ongoing recovery in Western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene. For communities digging out from the storm, he said, continuity in federal services is not optional. “If we shut this government down, those efforts will stop. That is malpractice. We cannot do that,” Moore declared on the House floor.

The legislation, formally known as the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 (H.R. 5371), maintains funding for federal agencies at current levels until late November. While it bars agencies from launching new initiatives during this interim period, it includes targeted provisions that keep urgent disaster and public health programs fully operational. For North Carolina, where Helene left homes destroyed and infrastructure in need of repair, that means FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund can continue reimbursing debris removal, temporary housing, and emergency repairs under the Stafford Act. Without the extension, those services could have been suspended mid-project.

The bill also authorizes necessary spending for wildfire suppression and maintains the Essential Air Service program, which supports rural airports that provide lifelines to remote communities. In Moore’s home state, where mountain terrain often limits travel options, those connections remain vital during storm recovery when roads are damaged or impassable.

Beyond emergency response, the resolution secures critical health care supports. It extends funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers through November 21. These facilities often serve as the front line of care in rural regions of North Carolina, where residents might otherwise face hours-long drives to reach a hospital. The legislation also continues Medicare telehealth flexibilities—popular with seniors in rural areas—along with financial supports for hospitals that serve geographically dispersed populations. Ambulance add-on payments, low-volume hospital adjustments, and the hospital-at-home program are all preserved, ensuring that providers can maintain services during a time of heightened demand.

For veterans, the bill prevents a lapse in services that could have hit hard in a state with a significant veteran population. It extends VA transportation, housing, and mental health programs, sustains supportive services for very low-income veteran families, and keeps the suicide prevention grant program in place. It also clarifies mortgage relief rules under the VA’s Partial Claim Program, giving veterans who may have missed work during storm recovery a better chance at keeping their homes.

Moore highlighted these direct connections between Washington policymaking and the realities back home. Western North Carolina communities are still repairing bridges, reopening schools, and clearing debris from roads. Local governments are counting on FEMA reimbursements to balance their budgets, and small businesses are depending on federal loans to stay afloat. A shutdown, Moore argued, would throw all of that into chaos.

While stopgap spending bills are rarely celebrated, they remain a critical tool when Congress has not completed its full-year appropriations work. H.R. 5371 reflects that tradition: a bridge, not a solution. It pauses automatic congressional pay raises, adjusts defense schedules to maintain existing priorities, and reauthorizes technical provisions like FDA user fees for over-the-counter drug reviews. These less-visible items matter too, ensuring that regulatory and administrative functions continue without interruption.

For North Carolina families, however, the implications are much more tangible. The difference between a funded government and a shutdown could mean whether storm debris gets picked up, whether a clinic remains open, or whether a veteran keeps a roof over their head. Moore emphasized that those aren’t abstract questions—they’re daily realities in districts like his.

The passage of the resolution sets up another deadline in late November, when lawmakers will once again face the task of reaching a broader budget deal. But for now, North Carolinians can count on the federal government’s support continuing uninterrupted. For Moore, that was reason enough to set aside partisan gridlock and cast his vote to keep the government open.