Calls for an extension to FEMA's temporary shelter program have come from Democrats and Republicans in North Carolina as the agency's hotel stays are scheduled to stop during winter weather.
Wednesday evening Gov. Josh Stein sent a letter FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell asking for the longest extension yet: six months.
"I know FEMA has been working to deliver aid, but the people of western North Carolina are experiencing chaos and uncertainty regarding temporary housing that is untenable. Many of these families’ homes need long-term rebuilding and are not and will not be safe for some time," the letter read.
On Jan. 9, FEMA announced that they would stop paying for hotel rooms for 3,500 people who were no longer eligible for temporary shelter assistance. The agency extended the deadline multiple times after complaints from the public and politicians that some people had no housing to return to and the severe winter weather prohibited safe travel.
The current deadline for those who were initially found ineligible is Jan. 25.
According to his letter, Stein is urging the agency to push that until Sept. 30, "so that these folks have certainty that they will have a safe place to live until their home is safe and habitable."
More dangerously cold weather is expected next week, and Stein asked that to be considered before putting people into uncertain housing situations.
"I know that you agree that people are entitled to pass the winter safely and securely as they rebuild their damaged or destroyed homes," he wrote. "The shock of the damage Hurricane Helene caused is still very real for the people of western North Carolina. They need assurance that they will have shelter during this time so long as their home is still uninhabitable. We owe them support, not fear or confusion."
Senator Ted Budd has also been vocal about FEMA extensions. On Thursday morning he was interviewed by Fox Business and lambasted FEMA's communication as "absolutely ridiculous."
" President Trump and his nominees can't get here fast enough," he said.
He continued his critique of the agency under the outgoing Biden administration on a Christian radio show based out of Raleigh Thursday.
" We need President Trump. And I tell you what, it's just gonna be a few more days, but he can't get here soon enough," he said, adding that he has spent hours on the phone with FEMA advocating for people without shelter who are being kicked out of hotel rooms.
FEMA says people who received an ineligibility notification and still need housing assistance should immediately call the helpline at 1-800-621-3362.