Rep. Brenden Jones expresses his frustrations during a recent Helene recovery hearing. (Photo: NCGA video stream)

North Carolina Republican lawmakers have rightfully complained in recent years about the state’s deeply flawed recovery response to Hurricanes Matthew and Florence — two storms that wreaked havoc years ago. It’s outrageous that many eastern North Carolina homes still remain unrepaired.

That said, their recent partisan grandstanding about the post-Hurricane Helene situation in western North Carolina is all wet.

Last week, a GOP lawmaker tried to blast Stein administration officials for failing to rebuild businesses damaged by the storm, even though the legislature has refused to appropriate any funds for that purpose.

A similar complaint about rebuilding homes — money for which was only just recently appropriated by the legislature — was equally absurd.

The bottom line: Governor Stein and western lawmakers have been begging for funds to help devastated businesses and homeowners and it’s the cheapskate refusal of Republican legislators to help (along with crazy Trump administration funding cuts) that are the problem. The disingenuous grandstanding is an embarrassment.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.