North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper blocked a hurricane relief bill that contained clauses to limit the power of incoming Democratic leaders and transfer it to Republican officials.
"This legislation is a sham," Cooper wrote in his veto message, obtained by WRAL. "It does not send money to Western North Carolina but merely shuffles money from one fund to another in Raleigh."
"This legislation was titled disaster relief but instead violates the constitution by taking appointments away from the next Governor for the Board of Elections, Utilities Commission and Commander of the NC Highway Patrol, letting political parties choose appellate judges and interfering with the Attorney General's ability to advocate for lower electric bills for consumers," Cooper continued.
The bill containing $227 million in relief efforts was passed by the state Senate last week, however the bill also contained clauses to redistribute power that traditionally belonged to the governor, attorney general and state superintendent, all of which were all elected to be Democrats in the recent election, as reported by WCNC.
One of the clauses included transferring the power to appoint State Board of Elections members to the state auditor, who is a Republican, taking the responsibility away from the state's governor.
Much of the relief money in the bill is also not able to be immediately spent. Critics of the bill argue that the bill focused on political issues, and not truly on hurricane relief.
The bill will return to the General Assembly where Republicans could attempt to overturn the veto, however some Republicans also previously voted against the bill.
Hurricane Helene devastated the southeastern United States when it hit back in September. North Carolina was one of the hardest hit states, leaving behind dozens dead and billions of dollars in damages.
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