Politics

U.S. Senate committee coming to town to learn about SBA aid after Helene

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 18, 2025

U.S. Sen. Ted Budd will convene a field hearing in Hendersonville Monday on the “SBA’s Hurricane Helene Response: One Year Later,” Budd's office said in a news release.

The hearing by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will evaluate the Small Business Administration’s programs and efforts following Hurricane Helene and will include witnesses representing Western North Carolina local government, small businesses and business advocacy groups. The SBA will be represented by Chris Stallings, associate administrator from the office of disaster recovery and resilience. The hearing is at 2 p.m. Monday in the Historic Courthouse.

Scheduled witnesses include Stallings, Henderson County Commissioner Rebecca K. McCall; Peter O’Leary, owner of Bubba O'Leary's General Store and mayor of Chimney Rock Village; and David M. Jackson, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. The hearing will be available via livestream here.