Chuck Edwards backs tariffs as western NC struggles to rebuild

North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards voted to preserve President Donald Trump’s tariffs, despite the policy hampering his constituents’ ability to rebuild from Hurricane Helene.

Edwards was one of 210 House Republicans to vote against a bipartisan resolution on Feb. 11 to block Trump’s tariffs on Canada. He voted down two similar resolutions last year. The latest resolution passed the House, but it is unlikely to get a vote in the Republican-led Senate.

Edwards represents North Carolina’s 11th District, which covers the western tip of the state. The area was ravaged by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. State officials reported more than 100 deaths and at least $53 billion in damages.

More than two years later, much of the region has not been rebuilt, and many survivors are unhoused. A variety of factors have contributed to the slow recovery, including rising construction costs that have been accelerated by Trump’s tariff policy. Steel and lumber, for example, are 20% more expensive than they were a year ago.

Nick Scroggs, a general contractor in Edwards’ district, explained to WLOS last spring how even the threat of tariffs can affect his bottom line.

“In these times, whenever there’s potential tariffs affecting the cost of goods and services and whatnot, we have to price a little more risk into our models, which gets passed on to the customer,” he said.

In October, Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber, a critical component in home building. Other parts of the Canadian lumber industry have been hit with tariffs ranging from 26% to 48%.

Edwards defended Trump’s tariffs in an April 2025 appearance on CNN, arguing that it’s what voters wanted.

“I believe that our president was very clear when he asked to be our president that he would be using tariffs to make America more competitive,” Edwards said. “I trust that he will do exactly that. I know that there’s just a lot of angst out there right now, but we’re really early into this process.”

An analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that the average American household spent an extra $1,000 last year because of Trump’s tariffs.