By Shannon Heckt

Louisiana lawmakers are asking Congress to bring back a $1 billion federal program that allows schools, child care programs, and food banks to purchase locally grown produce and protein.

The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, both administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, were axed in March as part of the Trump administration’s move to reduce federal government spending.

Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said some small and mid-sized farms had already started planting and planning for their crops to be bought by schools or food banks through the defunded initiatives.

“[If they are lost], it would be detrimental for the schools, it would be detrimental for those small farmers because they really rely on this,” Strain said.

Louisiana will lose out on more than $18 million from the food-buying programs over the next three years, according to federal data. State Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 20 to urge Congress to put the funding back, specifically for schools.

McMath is championing bills focused on the “Make America Healthy Again” movement to banish ultra-processed foods from school lunches. He said he believes local purchasing programs can help get healthier food options on children’s lunch trays.

In a state Senate Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday, Strain mentioned examples of Louisiana businesses taking a hit from the federal program cuts.

Harris Cattle Co., a Ville Platte business, sells $380,000 worth of meat to nine school districts. Another farm sold $7,000 worth of okra to area schools, the agriculture commissioner said.

“Instead of using processed foods, we want food from scratch. We want fresh okra, we want fresh broccoli, we want fresh corn on the cob. That is what we are looking for,” Strain said.

Strain said he has been in direct contacted with members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation to make them aware of the impacts from the USDA spending reductions. U.S. Rep. Julie Letlow , R-Louisiana, sits on a House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture that met Wednesday to discuss the proposed federal budget.

More information about the reorganization of the USDA is anticipated to be released in the coming weeks, which could mean a chance for the funding to return in some capacity, Strain said.

The Local Food for Schools Program began in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Biden Administration. A USDA spokesperson told Politico the programs “no longer effectuate the goals of the agency.”

Local Food Purchase Assistance agreements in place prior to 2025 renewals were set to take effect, will remain in place for the remainder of their agreed-upon terms, according to the USDA.

McMath’s resolution does not specifically ask for food bank funding to be returned, but Feeding Louisiana executive director Pat Van Burkleo said he’ll work with a legislator next week to make that request. The latest USDA cuts come at a very inopportune time, as the Trump administration is also slashing the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

“We can’t make up what the federal government cuts for food banks. We can ask for help, but it doesn’t make it up,” Van Burkleo said.

Feeding Louisiana represents the state’s five regional food banks, which cover all 64 parishes. The group is spreading a petition to gain the attention of Gov. Jeff Landry to get his support for calling on Congress to restore the funding. Their goal is 500 signatures by next week. As of Wednesday, the count was already over 260.

Van Burkleo said losing this funding not only harms schools trying to serve healthy foods, but also small farmers who often work multiple jobs without avenues to sell their produce on a greater scale.

“It is a great program designed to help the small, underserved minority farmers in rural communities. They have never had this opportunity to get this kind of dollars,” Van Burkleo said.

An affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations and readers, the Louisiana Illuminator retains full editorial independence and is presented to readers free of charge and without advertising.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors sort debris pulled from the bottom of Lake Lure in Rutherford County, North Carolina on April 14, 2025. Vegetative and man-made debris was washed into Lake Lure after Hurricane Helene devastated the region. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Michael Davis)

North Carolina senators approved a massive hurricane relief package Monday, thawing out a bill that had been frozen for a month and passing it with major changes.

Senate Republicans’ proposed aid for western North Carolina lays out vastly more money than the bill passed by the House in May — around $2.46 billion in total. And it makes changes to several major line-items in the House version’s, which totaled $464 million.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Among the most notable changes: the removal of a $60 million grant program for small businesses, a longtime request as many storefronts struggle to reopen due to flooding and lost tourism.

In the new bill, $700 million in spending is sent to the state’s Helene recovery fund. Of that money, $465 million is appropriated, leaving the rest for future aid.

The remaining money includes federal funding and money to qualify municipalities for competitive grants, among other purposes, according to Fiscal Research Division staff at the General Assembly. Lawmakers have redirected more than half a billion dollars from local aid, road repairs and other state programs toward Helene relief.

House lawmakers and advocates in the region have for weeks requested that the Senate take up the bill and pass it, as the mountains continue to recover from Helene.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The aid package sat in committee for a month as leaders in the House and Senate negotiated the state budget; they have yet to come to an agreement.

On Monday, they got their wish, as Senate Republicans fast-tracked it through committee and onto the floor. The aid package passed in a unanimous vote.

But the removal of business grants, as well as an array of other differences, will spark frustration — and could lead to even further delay.

“This allows us — on transportation funds, on private roads and bridges — to address some of those issues,” Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) said.

Senate Democrats said they had reservations about the changes to the House’s bill, which received unanimous support. And they were dubious that House Republicans would agree to the Senate’s changes.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

“I certainly don’t think the House is going to concur with them, because they haven’t been pre-negotiated with the House,” said Sen. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) in an interview. “They’ve basically admitted that.”

If the bill clears the Senate this week, it will return to the House, who must agree to the changes to send it to Gov. Josh Stein’s desk.

Both chambers will debate a flurry of legislation this week in what is widely viewed as a final push before they leave Raleigh for weeks.

Senate Republicans scratch business grants from aid bill. They say it’s a constitutional issue.

Hise, asked by reporters Monday about why the Senate had removed money for small business grants, cited the state’s “emoluments clause.”

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The North Carolina constitution declares that “no person … is entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community but in consideration of public services.”

Hise argues that includes a grant program, in which the state would select specific businesses to receive money, falls under that umbrella.

“We have not found a way to successfully get around that concept,” Hise said.

He said he planned to bring forward a constitutional amendment on the matter, which would require approval from the legislature and a majority of voters. It’s unclear what that timeline would look like.

Senate Democratic leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) said in an interview that if Republicans “were that concerned,” they should have discussed the issue with the House “instead of just jettisoning the entire bill.”

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

“This is literally playing with our western North Carolinian neighbors’ lives and livelihoods and welfare,” Batch said. “Only to get political chips and negotiations while we go into a budget debate.”

Past legal analyses of the state’s emoluments clause have come to different conclusions than Hise.

The North Carolina attorney general’s office under Mike Easley, a Democrat, wrote in a 1999 opinion to legislative leaders that natural disaster grant programs for farmers, homeowners and small businesses would benefit “the public good.”

And a 2019 legal review from UNC professor John Orth found that “emoluments … may include benefits or privileges granted in consideration of public services more generally.”

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

One western Democrat, during floor debate Monday, pointed out that one private business in the region — the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad — was set to receive money in the same bill.

“That is something this body has refused to do since last October,” said Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe).

The state Senate is moving forward this week with a half-billion-dollar Helene recovery bill, making minor revisions to the House’s funding proposal.

The $533 million total is slightly higher than the amount that passed the House last week — $500 million — but it’s less than the billion dollars requested by Gov. Josh Stein. A Senate floor vote on the bill is expected on Wednesday.

Both the House and Senate want to fund efforts to rebuild housing as well as private roads and budgets. Both bills also include money to clean up debris and to help farmers with crop losses.

Unlike the House, the Senate wants to fund summer school programs in districts where classes were cancelled for weeks after the storm. Republican Sen. Ralph Hise is from hard-hit Mitchell County.

“I believe my sons have been to school 29 days since the storm has hit, over five months,” Hise said. “We’re just trying to make sure that we can get kids caught up over the summer and provide that opportunity.”

The summer schooling program would get $4.5 million, less than the amount Stein requested for a 30-day summer learning program. School districts participating under the Senate proposal would need to offer at least 72 hours of instruction to students in grades 4-8.

The Senate bill does not include a House provision that would forgive previously approved loans to local governments, effectively turning them into grants. Hise said that provision could jeopardize access to federal funding.

The Senate bill also includes $112.7 million to complete a troubled hurricane housing repair program in eastern North Carolina. That money is needed to finish homes damaged during storms more than six years ago; state officials say rising costs have caused the program to run out of money and pause projects.

A House committee also approved that funding Tuesday through a separate bill. House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, R-Columbus and sponsor of that bill, said it includes auditing and accountability measures to ensure the money is spent properly.

“We have put a lot of accountability in here, because the previous administration — well, honestly, we couldn’t trust them,” Jones said of former Gov. Roy Cooper’s team overseeing the program. “Money’s missing, and we’re not going through that again.”

Here’s where the Helene funding in the Senate bill would go:

$140 million for housing reconstruction, with a goal of setting up a program in the N.C. Department of Commerce that could be reimbursed by federal money later.

$192.5 million for crop loss programs and agricultural debris removal, more than the House bill

$100 million to repair and rebuild private roads and bridges — something that’s become a major public safety concern as emergency responders can’t quickly reach homes that have been cut off by washed-out roads and bridges.

$55 million for small business infrastructure grants, which would repair things like sidewalks and parking spaces in business districts

$20 million for debris removal to state agencies and local governments

$10 million for fire department grants

$3 million for tourism marketing

$4.5 million for a school learning loss program

Both House and Senate leaders say the bill won’t be the last Helene recovery effort in the legislature this year. And on Tuesday, Hise called for more federal funding to help western North Carolina.

“We need congressional help,” he said. “We’ve got challenges, particularly on the needs of private businesses who were devastated by this loss that we have limitations in being able to address. On private roads and bridges, I promise you, we’re just scratching the surface.”

Retail outlets in East Asheville, from big box stores like Walmart to specialty tourist destinations like Antique Tobacco Barn, are struggling to return to normal after Tropical Storm Helene ravaged the area in late September.

Retail locations that remain closed for an extended time not only limit residents’ access to things like food, medicine, sanitary products, car parts and building supplies, but also leave many unemployed and without capital to spend at stores that do remain open.

The ripple effects of long-term retail closures — coupled with the lack of tourism spending — will stifle the Asheville economy, especially East Asheville, for months, and even years, to come.

East Asheville retailers near the river

Many stores in the East Asheville commercial shopping district along Swannanoa River Road and the adjacent Swannanoa River are closed indefinitely, including some big box stores that provide essential goods, like Lowe’s, Walmart and Aldi.

Other closed locations in the area near the corner of Swannanoa River Road and South Tunnel Road include a mix of local businesses and nationwide chains.

Swannanoa River Road is badly damaged in front of Walgreens at the intersection with South Tunnel Road in East Asheville on Sept. 30, 2024, days after Tropical Storm Helene swept through Western North Carolina. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press

The roads themselves are severely damaged, making it hard for customers to access these stores even if they were open.

Indefinitely closed locations for stores and restaurants include Ruff Life Dog Training Services, SmartShop Self Storage, Walgreens, Discount Tire, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, HobbyTown, The Regeneration Station, and GreatClips.

These closures leave hundreds of people out of work and without services on which they rely.

Early on, lack of internet and phone service left stores unable to communicate with the public about their status, leading to misinformation and rumors about damage being more extensive than it was in some cases.

East Asheville supply shock

“This is a multifaceted supply shock,” Robert Tatum, professor of economics at UNC Asheville, told Carolina Public Press.

“Companies are affected by physical damage, by closures due to lack of water. It could be that their workers can’t get there because they don’t have childcare, or their homes were damaged. There are so many coordination issues that make it really difficult to move forward in a meaningful way.”

But ultimately, big chains are in a better position to handle these supply shocks than small businesses, Tatum said.

Lowe’s in East Asheville suffered extensive damage, especially to its garden area seen here Sept. 30, 2024, days after Tropical Storm Helene swept through Western North Carolina. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press

The Lowe’s Home Improvement in East Asheville is closed indefinitely due to flooding and damage to inventory. The store’s garden section is particularly ravaged, with the greenhouse roof all but collapsed. Because the Mooresville-based chain sells building materials necessary for do-it-yourself rebuilding projects, residents of this part of Asheville may feel its absence sorely as the weeks go on.

Lowe’s has opened a “pop-up” location on S. Tunnel Road, with a limited selection of essential items, rental trucks and a disaster-response trailer.

But relief efforts are designed to take some responsibility off the shoulders of traditional home improvement stores like Lowe’s, said Michael Walden, North Carolina State professor of consumer economics.

“Much, if not all, of the building materials will be shipped to the region from other locations and stored at temporary facilities,” Walden told CPP. “This is not unusual for major storms. I saw this happen in Raleigh in the 1990s after Hurricane Fran.

“Of course, consumers will adjust their buying during the rebuilding based on what is available. I think most households realize normalcy will be a long time coming. They will be happy to have the essentials back.”

Making do, giving back

A number of the major retailers are contributing financially to the region’s recovery.

Lowe’s, for instance, is donating a total of $12 million to support relief efforts in Western North Carolina. Lowe’s hosted relief events in the wake of Helene, deployed volunteers to the area, and provided financial support to affected employees.

The East Asheville Walmart is also closed indefinitely, an institution on which many rely for everyday needs. Even so, the store has made showers are available at the location to those who need it. Elsewhere in Western North Carolina, Walmart also delivered prescription medication and other essential items to a senior center in Marion via drone.

In East Asheville, Target sits higher up on a ridge south of the Swannanoa River and avoided the flooding that plagued many of the other area stores, contrary to some claims circulating on social media.

Massive rainfall caused leaks throughout the East Asheville store, but that was the main damage it experienced thanks to its elevated location, a Target employee told CPP. The store is open with reduced hours, due to the lack of passable roads to and from the store.

According to the East Asheville store’s answering machine, the location is actually hiring store associates. The Target company has donated a total of $4.5 million to Helene relief efforts.

“The good in this situation is that at least not all your eggs are in one basket, so if one store is closed, there’s another similar store you can rely on,” Matthew Metzgar, economics professor at UNC Charlotte.

“Any sort of basic system, you’d like to have some backups and redundancies.”

Plus, Target, Walmart, and Lowe’s all have multiple locations throughout the Asheville area, so if roads permit, residents can travel across town for essential goods, Tatum said.

“It’s just tough in rural areas with smaller populations and less demand — you’re obviously not going to have multiple big chains or anything like that, so if one location closes, it’s a much bigger deal,” Metzgar said.

Antique Tobacco Barn

Some of the closed stores in Asheville are not necessarily essential to people’s livelihoods, but are still essential to the city’s identity. One such store is the Antique Tobacco Barn, located just west of the East Asheville cluster of big box retailers along Swannanoa River Road. The location is also directly across the road from the Swannanoa River.

Once a bustling tourist attraction with 75 vendors of specialty antiques, it is now an empty, ravaged 77,000-square-foot shell of a barn. Its owners estimate the lost merchandise is in the millions of dollars. Much of what isn’t flowing down the Swannanoa River is in a junk pile out back.

But some antiques survived, and employees are taking stock of them.

“We’re starting to count little victories and joys and we hope you are too,” reads a Facebook post from the store.

The Antique Tobacco Barn hopes to reopen, at least in part, in time for its Christmas market.

“That store was able to flourish because it was in a building that would not be used for other purposes,” Tatum said.

“The River Arts District (located to the northwest along the French Broad River) is the same way. These are cheap, old, big warehouses in a cool spot that would be good for art galleries or sprawling antique stores, but not much else. Now many of them are destroyed.

“The question is whether there are enough that remain, and enough draw back to the area, that it will still be seen as a River Arts District.”

Related

Republish This Story This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may republish our stories for free, online or in print. Simply copy and paste the article contents from the box below. Note, some images and interactive features may not be included here.

North Carolina state Sen. Kevin Corbin (R) denounced what he described as “conspiracy theory junk” circulating about flooding in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, referring to allegations about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stealing money from donations, among several others.

“PLEASE help stop this junk. It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job. Folks, this is a catastrophic event of which this country has never known,” Corbin wrote Thursday in post on Facebook.

CBS News on Friday published satellite images showing washed-out streets and buildings. One image shows an empty space where homes once were, along with downed trees and power lines.

In an effort to curb misinformation surrounding Hurricane Helene, FEMA launched a “rumor response” page, where the agency asks the public to find and share information from trusted sources and to discourage others from sharing details from unverified ones. It also seeks to dispel rumors as the search for storm victims continues across multiple states and authorities contend with blocked roads and power outages.

On the page, FEMA addressed the rumor about asking for cash donations and turning away volunteers, saying the agency “does not ask for or generally accept any cash donations or volunteers for disaster response.”

“We do encourage people who want to help to volunteer with or donate cash to reputable voluntary or charitable organizations,” the page reads. “After a disaster, cash is often the best way to help as it provides the greatest flexibility for these reputable organizations working on the ground to purchase exactly what is needed.”

FEMA also denied allegations regarding the agency confiscating donations, diverting funding to support international and border-related efforts and only providing up to $750 million to disaster survivors.

The Associated Press reported Friday that at least 215 people have been killed by Hurricane Helene, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Dozens or possibly hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, according to the news wire.

The Biden administration announced Friday that another $45 million would be granted to survivors of the hurricane.

Vice President Harris is expected to travel to North Carolina over the weekend to assess the damage and receive an update on recovery efforts from local officials.