Deregulation, Disaster, and Neglect: The Real Cost of Rouzer’s Policies

When federal agencies started slashing budgets, the impact wasn’t spread evenly. Some politicians fought for their districts. David Rouzer didn’t. The 7th District is taking the hit—crumbling roads, struggling farmers, underfunded disaster relief, and environmental protections gutted while Rouzer does nothing. He’s built a career on pushing for smaller government, but when those cuts put his constituents in the crosshairs, he’s nowhere to be found.

Look at infrastructure. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Rouzer has the power to secure funding for roads and bridges, yet Wilmington’s highways deteriorate, and the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge remains a ticking time bomb. Federal transportation cuts mean fewer resources to fix what’s falling apart, and Rouzer isn’t lifting a finger to stop it. His position should make him a champion for infrastructure investment, yet his silence guarantees more traffic congestion, stalled projects, and economic slowdowns.

Then there’s agriculture. Rouzer loves to tout his support for farmers, but his inaction on USDA cuts tells a different story. Farmers in Pender, Columbus, and New Hanover counties rely on federal crop insurance and disaster relief to survive unpredictable weather and volatile markets. With USDA programs slashed, they’re left to fend for themselves. As Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit, he should be fighting for them, but instead, he’s standing by while their safety nets disappear.

Disaster relief? Don’t count on it. North Carolina’s coastal communities know hurricanes aren’t a possibility—they’re a certainty. FEMA funding keeps people alive, helps rebuild after storms, and ensures flood recovery isn’t left entirely to underfunded state agencies. But FEMA is bleeding resources thanks to federal spending cuts, and Rouzer, sitting comfortably on the committees that could intervene, has nothing to say. When the next hurricane hits, and the federal response is slow, Rouzer will be ready with thoughts and prayers—but not the funding that could have made a difference.

And while the 7th District watches infrastructure and disaster preparedness crumble, the environment takes a hit, too. Rouzer sits on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Environment Subcommittee—yet he does nothing while the EPA’s budget gets slashed. For a district already dealing with contamination in the Cape Fear River, less environmental oversight means more pollution and more risk to public health. But deregulation serves corporate interests, and Rouzer has always been more interested in protecting donors than constituents.

The question isn’t whether David Rouzer supports cutting government spending. He does. The question is whether he cares about the consequences when those cuts gut his own district. His silence on FEMA, infrastructure, agriculture, and environmental protections isn’t leadership—it’s abandonment. And the people paying the price? The residents of New Hanover County and beyond. When roads fall apart, when farms struggle, when disaster response lags, when the air and water get dirtier—remember who sat back and let it happen. Rouzer isn’t fighting for the 7th District. He’s watching it crumble.

Hold Rouzer accountable. Call 910-395-0202 and DEMAND ANSWERS!