Smoky Mountain News: “Those conclusions represent a reality far detached from what Whatley — appointed by Trump on Jan. 24 to make sure ‘everything goes well’ — has been telling the press across the state.”

New reporting from Smoky Mountain News reveals Michael Whatley is lying to cover up his failure as the federal Helene “recovery czar.” While local officials in Western North Carolina complain that the federal government has “increased red tape,” Whatley is getting called out for lying and claiming that FEMA had “eliminated the red tape.” 

It’s no surprise there are new calls for Whatley to step down as “recovery czar.” Nearly 200 Western North Carolinians are “again calling for Whatley’s ouster.”

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Smoky Mountain News: Federal gridlock continues to stall Helene recovery

Cory Vaillancourt | December 16, 2025

• Michael Whatley, appointed by President Donald Trump as Helene recovery czar in January, has spoken to the head of the governor’s recovery task force only once this year.

• Those conclusions represent a reality far detached from what Whatley — appointed by Trump on Jan. 24 to make sure “everything goes well” — has been telling the press across the state.

• In a May podcast appearance with Spectrum’s Tim Boyum, Whatley claimed FEMA had “eliminated the red tape” and that there had been a “massive acceleration” in debris removal.

• On Aug. 1, a story in the Asheville Citizen-Times suggested debris removal had actually slowed. Local governments continued to report denials.

• On Aug. 8, a FEMA official directly contradicted Whatley on the elimination of red tape, saying the delays in federal relief were due to “new red tape.”

• In October, Western North Carolina residents — even Republicans — were harshly critical of Whatley’s performance, with one essentially saying Whatley should step down because he never really stepped up.

• Around that time, 120 people from 17 affected counties signed a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FEMA Review Council co-chair Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, asking them to remove Whatley from his oversight role. That obviously didn’t happen; however, a new petition with even more signatures is circulating, again calling for Whatley’s ouster.

• The council, of which Whatley is a member, was established by presidential executive order in January and charged with producing a report on FEMA reform within 180 days of its first public meeting, which was May 20. That deadline has long passed, but no report has been issued.

• “It’s like they doubled down on increasing regulations that create increased red tape for reimbursements for the people in our communities, for our local governments,” [Kevin Leonard, executive director of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners] said. “That’s going to stifle growth, or stifle recovery growth in North Carolina even further.”

• A spokesperson for Michael Whatley did not return a message seeking an interview by SMN.