August 12, 2020/Media

North Carolinians Slam Tillis for Inaction on Coronavirus Relief After He Broke His Promise to “Get It Done”

North Carolinians continue to blame Senator Tillis for failing to pass a new coronavirus relief package, rallying outside his house and offices last weekend to call on him “to step up and fight for the children of North Carolina.

Families across the state continue to describe extended federal benefits – which Tillis let expire without a replacement – as a “lifeline,” with one out of work North Carolinian saying he’s back in “survival mode” without the additional benefits. Tillis, meanwhile, has been “awol” on a new relief package despite promises that he will “stay [in Washington] as long as we have to to get it done.

“Senator Tillis promised North Carolinians he would stay in Washington until he passed a new relief bill, yet he’s now nowhere to be found as families across the state are pushed back into survival mode,” NCDP spokesperson Robert Howard said. “This is just the latest in a long series of broken promises from Senator Tillis. North Carolinians across the state know they can’t trust him to fight for them.”

Here’s what folks across North Carolina saw and read about Tillis’ inaction:

Teachers across the state rallied in front of Tillis’ Raleigh district office and his Charlotte home to hold Tillis accountable for failing to pass a relief package that would help schools and local governments:

  • NCAE’s Tamika Walker Kelly: “It is past time for Senate action to address the reality of this crisis. Senator Tillis knows this yet he has remained silent. It is time for him to step up and fight for the children of North Carolina.

 

Others slammed Tillis for letting another week go by and called on him to take care of North Carolina families and schools:

  • NC parent: “Senator Tillis, today I ask you not to represent a party. Today, I ask you to represent the people of North Carolina. I ask you to take care of our communities, our families, our public schools. I ask you to uphold the duties of your office.
  • NC nurse: “As a nurse, I cannot in good faith sit back and watch as teachers and staff are asked to come in to schools without the resources to protect themselves.

 

North Carolinians have described the additional federal benefits as a “lifeline,” while one worker said he’s back in “survival mode”:

  • North Carolinian out of work: “Having to go back to this survival mode is really, really unsettling…the real solve would be working with Congress, coming up with a deal that works for the American people.

 

Editorial boards are also calling on Tillis to act, asking if he’s “going to sit back in silence and inaction”:

  • CBC Editorial board: “This should not be a difficult choice for North Carolina’s two senators – particularly Tillis who is in the midst of an intensively competitive re-election effort. Burr and Tillis need to speak up to demand Trump makes sure states – particularly North Carolina – have the resources they need. They should demand the Senate engage in serious and sincere talk with the House about a truly comprehensive relief package that HELPS NORTH CAROLINIANS AND ALL AMERICANS FIRST.”

 

National outlets have also noted that Tillis is “in more peril” because of his inaction:

  • NBC News: “In North Carolina, Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham, who is running against Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, is also highlighting “Washington’s failure,” noting that the president’s executive order will raid funds from FEMA’s hurricane fund to pay for a portion of the unemployment benefits. North Carolina was hit by Isaias last week and is at high risk during hurricane season. Cunningham blamed Tillis for letting jobless benefits “expire in the first place.”