[link removed] [[link removed]]
Big win for our state to tell you about.

Here’s what happened:

Back in July, I stood at a sewage pump station in Hillsborough that had just flooded during a tropical storm. Millions of gallons of sewage spilled into the river.

Jeff at a Press Conference [[link removed]]

What made this especially frustrating was that this same station had already been approved by FEMA for funding to fix the problem. FEMA had selected it for a grant to move the station up a hill so it wouldn’t flood again.

Then FEMA canceled the money.

And this wasn’t an isolated case. FEMA had pulled the plug on 60 water and sewer projects across North Carolina - projects it had already approved. Overnight, our state was set to lose $200 million in infrastructure funding.

So we took FEMA to court - and we just won.

Our argument was straightforward: this wasn’t FEMA’s money to cancel. When Congress gave FEMA these funds, it was very clear the funds had to be spent on water and sewer projects in disaster-prone areas. Congress basically said, “Here’s money for a specific program that we want you to administer.” That meant FEMA didn’t have the authority to cancel the program entirely, which is what it did.

The court agreed with us - strongly. So strongly, in fact, that we won at the summary judgment level.

What does that mean?

It means the court essentially said, “Before we even go to trial, the evidence here is so strong that we believe there’s no way FEMA can prove that it didn’t break the law, so we’re making a decision without having to go through a full trial - and FEMA needs to pay what it owes.”

Jeff at a Press Conference [[link removed]]

A huge thanks to our team at NCDOJ who took this case on and delivered a result that will make a difference for dozens of communities. A big win to lift our spirits as we head into the holidays.

Anthrax Donuts

While our FEMA lawsuit was pending, I visited some of the towns whose projects had been abruptly canceled to see the impact on the ground.

One of them was the town of Whiteville, population 5,000.

A lot of people came out to greet me. The creek behind me in this photo floods on a regular basis, damaging homes and businesses.

Jeff at a Press Conference [[link removed]]

This is a long-standing issue for the town and they wanted me to know how important it is to them.

This included a very nice woman who owns a local donut shop, which floods on occasion. The last flood was just in October, and she told me she lost her whole inventory.

She very kindly brought me a box of donuts.

As she handed it to me, one of my staff members immediately swooped in and grabbed the box out of my hands. That struck me as odd, so I made a mental note to ask about it later.

Here’s how that conversation went back at the car:

Me: “Why’d you grab the box?”

Staff: “I didn’t know what was in it!”

Me: “It was a box of donuts. She was the donut lady.”

Staff: “Well, it was a security issue.”

Me: “It was a donut issue. I want my donuts back.”

Staff: “Well, we don’t know what’s in the donuts.”

Me: “What could be in the donuts?”

Staff: “I don’t know. Anthrax.”

Me: “You think those are anthrax donuts?”

Staff: “They could be!”

So here’s what happened:

We put the donuts on a table in our office until we could resolve the situation, and before I knew it, all of them were gone. Somehow, the same staff who was concerned these donuts might contain anthrax also decided they might be delicious, and promptly consumed them all.

And for the record, I am sending a check to the nice lady for the donuts. She’s had a hard couple of months, and she doesn’t need to give me anything for free.

Even if I didn’t get to eat them.

In Appreciation of Gov. Jim Hunt

Jeff at a Press Conference [[link removed]]

The first time I met Governor Jim Hunt, I made a joke about how I had once been a very low-ranking soldier.

He immediately grabbed me by the wrist and said, firmly, “And that’s who you’re fighting for, Jeff - people who are on the bottom, who are trying to move up!”

I’ve never forgotten that moment, because it captured him perfectly. He believed public service meant looking out for the little guy, finding ways to move everyone up, and leading with compassion.

That same spirit showed up in personal ways, too. I never saw him happier than when he was campaigning for his daughter, Rachel. He was her star volunteer. I once saw him tell a voter, “Yes, it’s really me - now you need to vote for my daughter!” I know she made him incredibly proud with her public service.

And even after he’d done everything he’d done - after all the offices, all the accomplishments - he kept doing the small, human things that make leadership real. He used to cut out newspaper clippings and send them to me. Most were about early childhood education - one of his central legacies as Governor. I always read them, and I always showed them to my wife, just to let her know I was pen pals with the Governor.

In the coming days, it’s going to be difficult to summarize everything he accomplished for our state, everything he meant to people.

But it isn’t going to be hard to sum him up as a person:

He was simply a great joy to be around, and he really cared about people, and he had a vision for ways he could bring people together to do big things that would serve them well.

When that’s your character and you’re given the chance to serve again and again, the impact compounds and the good you can do for people lasts for generations.

We’re grateful - and we’ll miss him.

Time with Family

For the first time, Marisa and I are hosting our families for the holidays. Our house is about three days away from being absolutely full, with kids running around everywhere. We’ve got a trampoline in the backyard that’s about to get a lot of use.

I hope you get to spend time with your loved ones as well, and that this holiday gives you the space to relax, unwind, and not talk politics unless that’s what makes you happy.

And remember: it’s ok to take a break from the news, just as it’s ok - even good! - to take a break from work.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday.

Best,

Jeff Jackson
Paid for by Jeff Jackson for Attorney General
Jeff Jackson for Attorney General
P.O. Box 470882
Charlotte, NC 28226
United States
www.jeffjacksonnc.com [[link removed]] | [email protected] [[email protected]]
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