Burr, Tillis call on Gov. Cooper to Help NC small businesses

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., left, and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., right, walk from a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — North Carolina’s U.S. senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, issued a joint statement calling on Gov. Roy Cooper to address the state’s employment shortage. The senators said the shortage is harming small businesses across the state.

“The employment shortage caused by exorbitant federal unemployment benefits is a real and serious threat to North Carolina’s recovery. Employers are finding they can’t compete with excessive federal benefits. Time is running out for industries that rely on the summer season for a large portion of their business,” they said.

“Gov. Cooper needs to acknowledge the existence of a problem and take action to fix it. While the governor recently announced he will finally start reinstating the job search requirement, that’s merely enforcing existing law. It’s not enough.”