Vance touts $858M in Helene relief funding for Western North Carolina

Vice President JD Vance promised $858 million in additional disaster relief funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation during a campaign stop in Hendersonville, North Carolina on Monday.

Vance’s event is part of the White House’s push to encourage GOP turnout this election cycle in what polls show is a challenging political environment for Republicans. President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Greenville, N.C. on Tuesday.

The vice president stumped for Michael Whatley, as well as U.S. House candidates Jennifer Balkcom and Laurie Buckhout. 

In the U.S. Senate race, Whatley is running against Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper. With 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to flip control of the chamber. Cook Political Report rates the race as “likely Democratic.”

“We are going to rebuild eight major corridors destroyed by Hurricane Helene, including the I-40 and Pigeon River Gorge,” Vance told supporters in Hendersonville.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $873 million on Monday in Helene relief funding for North Carolina. 

Last month, Trump jokingly claimed at a campaign rally in Gastonia that he would withhold Helene relief funding unless Whatley won the Senate race. 

Vance joked that U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, former chair of the Republican National Committee and North Carolina Republican Party, “would not shut up” about Helene relief in Western North Carolina. 

Whatley was named Trump’s “recovery czar” in January 2025, but has been accused by his critics, including some in his own party, of doing little to help secure federal resources.  

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Public records show just six text messages and five phone calls totaling 38 minutes between Whatley and a state official helping coordinate recovery efforts over the course of roughly one year, according to Asheville Citizen-Times. 

But at the rally, Whatley said it was Cooper who had failed the region. 

“He was totally unprepared for the disaster and completely failed to respond after the skies had cleared,” Whatley claimed. “Roy Cooper even vetoed a bill that would have delivered key disaster relief to communities who were affected by the storm.”

Whatley was referring to a 131-page bill that, although branded as Helene relief, shifted power away from Democrats elected to office. Cooper referred to the legislation as a “sham” in his veto message. 

“Roy Cooper led North Carolina through several major catastrophic storms, activating emergency resources, keeping families safe and securing significant state and federal funding for recovery,” a Cooper campaign spokesperson told NC Newsline. 

During Vance’s speech, a protester behind him on the stands yelled out, “Release the Epstein files!”

Vance turned around to look at the protester, a man of color. As security dragged the man away, Vance suggested the protestor was an illegal immigrant. “I said that we have had zero illegal border crossings in the United States of America, but one isn’t bad, right?”

The crowd booed the protester and cheered for Vance. 

Balkcom, a state lawmaker representing Henderson County, is facing Democrat Jamie Ager in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. The NCGOP chose her to replace incumbent U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards in August after he dropped out.

Though Hendersonville is her hometown, Balkcom gave a short speech of about three minutes. 

Her primary accomplishment so far in the state legislature, where she’s served since 2023, has been sponsoring a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports. She and several other speakers at Monday’s rally emphasized that issue.

Last month, Balkcom and Ager both aired ads aiming to appeal to rural voters. Ager’s ad showed him hosting a barn dance at his farm. 

“My opponent, Jamie Ager, likes to have barn dances and drag queen shows,” Balkcom said. “The only thing I know around this area that we like to have in our barn is either crops, hay, tools, or tractors.”

In Balkcom’s ad, she revealed her mom taught her to be strong, and that Balkcom’s mother shot a home intruder. Buckhout and fellow Republican state auditor Dave Boliek referenced the moment during their speeches. 

“She’s as tough as they come,” Boliek said. “When she was growing up, when a guy tried to break into her house, her mom shot the guy. So I know where she gets the resolve from, and she brought that with her to Raleigh.”