Why Gov. Cooper was in Fayetteville, and why he says a shutdown will hurt military families

The looming partial shutdown of the federal government threatens United States military families, veterans and national security, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said while visiting Fayetteville — the home of Fort Liberty, America’s largest military base by population — on Thursday afternoon.

The federal government’s new fiscal year starts Sunday. Congress has failed to pass a budget to keep the government running after that day.

Passage of a new budget, or even a temporary spending plan called a continuing resolution, requires an agreement not only among Democratic President Joe Biden, the Democratic majority of the Senate and the Republican majority in the House, but it also requires agreement among the Republican factions within the House. The House Republicans have been divided among themselves on how to proceed.

“We have almost 800,000 veterans in North Carolina,” Cooper said during an appearance at Fayetteville Technical Community College. “We’ve got a handful of members of Congress who really want to shut down the federal government.

“And let's think about those 95,000-plus service members right here in North Carolina whose paycheck may be endangered. That not only hurts military families who are protecting our country, but it hurts our security.

“So they need to get their act together in Washington” and avoid the shutdown, Cooper said.

In addition to Fort Liberty, which has around 50,000 soldiers, North Carolina has Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville and several other smaller installations.

Cooper’s remarks about the shutdown drew applause from Fayetteville and Cumberland County elected officials, Fayetteville Tech students and others at Cooper’s event.

Governor visits FTCC to highlight clean energy, NC’s military ties

Cooper toured Fayetteville Tech on Thursday to mark North Carolina Clean Energy Week and the state’s connection to the military. During the visit, Cooper:

• Spoke with Joshua Goins, a Douglas Byrd High School graduate who, while in high school, gained skills to work in the solar power industry via FTCC’s pre-apprenticeship program in solar power construction. The program is a partnership between FTCC and Blue Ridge Power, a North Carolina-based solar power construction firm.

• Met automotive technician students working on electric and hybrid-electric cars in FTCC’s new Hybrid-Electric Transportation class. This course teaches students how to diagnose and repair cars with electric drivetrains.

• Visited the All America Veterans Center, which helps veterans enrolled at FTCC transition to the civilian workforce from the military. FTCC graduate Marcus Holley, an Army veteran who was injured in the war in Afghanistan, told the governor how the program helped him.

• Visited FTCC’s Cyber Defense Education Center, which trains students in cybersecurity.

Read all about it: New Fayetteville Tech course trains next generation of electric vehicle technicians

Cooper: Put pressure on Congress to prevent a shutdown

During a news conference following his tour, Cooper brought up the potential federal government shutdown. He said many state government programs are paid for with federal tax money, and state employees work with federal employees to run them, Cooper said. The state is preparing for the shutdown, he said.

“I think we're going to have to be ready to deal with trying to help our active service members and all other federal employees in North Carolina in some way,” Cooper said. ”But immediately, the thing to do is to put pressure on Congress to get this done,” Cooper said.

“Many of them are saying, ‘Well, we’ve been through this before. We’re probably going to be able to get a deal. Even if we don’t, it’s not going to last very long.’”

Those people are wrong, Cooper said. “I think even one day — one day — is going to be very difficult on all these families,” he said.

Many state government programs are paid for with federal tax money and state employees work with federal employees to run them, Cooper said. The state is preparing for the shutdown, he said.

“I think we're going to have to be ready to deal with trying to help our active service members and all other federal employees in North Carolina in some way.”

Senior North Carolina reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@fayobserver.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC Gov. Roy Cooper says federal shutdown will hurt American military