Democratic state legislators will hold a town hall in Asheville this week to discuss the impact of federal funding cuts on Buncombe County, including the region’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene.
N.C. Sen. Julie Mayfield and Reps. Lindsey Prather, Brian Turner and Eric Ager will host the event from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday at Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College’s Ferguson Auditorium.
The event comes one week after U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards’ town hall at the same venue, where thousands of local residents turned out to voice opposition to many of the actions being taken by the Trump administration.
“Western North Carolina is already facing serious recovery challenges after Helene, and these federal cuts only add more uncertainty for our communities,” Prather said in a statement. “This town hall is about listening to those impacted and working together on solutions to fill the gaps.”
State and local officials have warned in recent weeks that funding freezes and cuts enacted by the Trump administration could have a devastating impact on Western North Carolina’s recovery.
In their release announcing Thursday’s event, the Democratic state legislators pointed to the potential loss of several types of federal funds, including more than $1 billion in U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development funding; nearly $1 billion in funding for low-income schools and special education programs; and up to $27 billion in Medicaid funding for North Carolina.
“These federal cuts don’t just disappear — they create holes that communities like ours are left to fill,” Mayfield said in a statement. “We need to have honest conversations about what’s at stake and what we can do to protect our region.”
Those interested in attending can sign up online here.
