Michael Whatley has been invited to a meeting to discuss his performance as Western North Carolina’s “Recovery Czar” since entering the role on January 24, 2025.

“Last year, the president tapped Michael Whatley to ‘lead the team’ and he ‘put Michael in charge of making sure everything goes well.’ One year later, it’s been nothing but failure: Western North Carolina has only seen 12% of federal funding needs, residents have repeatedly sounded the alarm on Whatley’s absence, Republicans have called out the sluggish federal response, and even Whatley himself has admitted that he won’t deliver the relief promised,” said Mallory Payne, senior communications advisor for the North Carolina Democratic Party. “It’s crystal clear that Western North Carolina deserves better than Michael Whatley.”

A year on the job, Whatley’s failures as “recovery czar” have piled up:

• • Smoky Mountain News: Helene victims still waiting for Whatley
    • “Billions have been promised, but little has arrived. Whatley, charged by Trump to ensure things ‘go well,’ has done little to alter the fundamental trajectory of Helene recovery.”
  • WYFF: More than 100 WNC residents request to remove Michael Whatley from FEMA Review Council
  • WLOS: ‘Our needs are urgent’: WNC residents say Michael Whatley isn’t helping after Helene
  • Charlotte Observer: Whatley invokes faith, Trump ties in WNC as Helene recovery remains incomplete
    • “Some protesters accused Whatley of prioritizing his campaign over helping Western North Carolina.”
  • Smoky Mountain News: Whatley backs away from Helene role during first WNC visit
    • “His absence from storm-damaged areas, coupled with his reluctance to answer direct questions has eroded confidence in Whatley’s leadership.”
  • Charlotte Observer: Michael Whatley brags about Helene recovery efforts in new ad. Here are the facts | Opinion 
    • “As far as anyone can tell, his participation in recovery efforts has been limited to his attendance at a few meetings…Needless to say, many western North Carolina residents are frustrated.”
  • Smoky Mountain News: Step up, or step down: Whatley blames Democrats after calls to resign grow louder
    • “It’s kind of funny to say ‘step down,’ because I never saw him step up,” said Margaret Ackiss, a member of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District executive committee.
    • “Pressed on why that total still represents only a fraction of the state’s estimated damage, Whatley said it’s unrealistic to expect full reimbursement from Washington”
    • “He said the Trump administration’s creation of the FEMA Review Council is intended to correct past inadequacies and streamline future responses. Even though they won’t likely help Helene victims…”
  • Spectrum News: ‘They don’t know what to prepare for’: Watchdog report finds concerns over potential FEMA changes
    • “The council was expected to release its recommendations in December, but the report was delayed. A month later, it’s unclear when or if the report will actually come out.”

###