Senator Tillis dismissed the expiration of federal unemployment benefits yesterday as a “normal part of the sausage factory,” after he and Republicans “wasted” a week “bickering” among themselves rather than extending benefits many families out of work are relying on.

Tillis’ dismissal comes as folks out of work face a devastating cut to federal unemployment benefits starting tomorrow. In North Carolina, the average benefit will drop from $877 to just $277. North Carolinians out of work have described the benefits as “a lifeline,” said they have made a “major difference,” and that they helped them “sleep at night.”

“Senator Tillis has failed every single North Carolinian this week,” NCDP spokesperson Robert Howard said. “Families are facing a devastating cut in benefits right at the end of the month, yet Senator Tillis is indifferent to their struggles and waving away their fears as just a ‘normal part of the sausage factory.’ Senator Tillis is painfully out of touch with North Carolinians because he’s just another Washington politician who looks out for himself.”

Tillis’ indifference to the cliff facing many North Carolina families comes as unemployment claims “edged up” in the last week and as North Carolina non-profits “brace” for an influx of people in need. One non-profit warned that the benefits cuts means, “At the end of the day, it’s longer lines and more evictions and more utility disconnections.”

North Carolinians, meanwhile, are laying blame with Tillis and Congress, saying, “Congress isn’t doing its best job.”