In a new column in the Charlotte Observer, DC insider Michael Whatley is getting blasted for bragging about his job performance as the Helene “recovery czar” after failing to deliver federal relief to Western North Carolina.
The truth is that Western North Carolinians are “frustrated,” have protested his campaign events in the region, and called for Whatley to be fired from the FEMA Review Council.
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Paige Masten | October 6, 2025
- That means it’s also been nine months since President Donald Trump promised to make Helene victims his priority, and since Trump tapped Whatley to lead recovery efforts in the state.
- That’s nine months in which Whatley and Trump have failed to deliver much-needed aid in a timely manner, creating obstacles to recovery.
- Whatley has “rarely, if ever, been visible in Helene’s disaster zone” and has “done little to alter the fundamental trajectory of Helene recovery,” according to Smoky Mountain News. As far as anyone can tell, his participation in recovery efforts has been limited to his attendance at a few meetings.
- It’s taking a long time for Helene victims to get the relief they need, at least at the federal level. So far, federal aid has only covered about 10% of the total damage caused by the storm, a figure that’s tiny in comparison to the federal government’s contribution to recovery efforts for similar storms.
- There’s been significant delays even in distributing funds that Congress has already approved, thanks to a new policy that requires Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to personally approve any FEMA expenditure that exceeds $100,000. (Meanwhile, ProPublica reported that Noem recently expedited disaster relief to Florida at the behest of a political donor, and flew down to tour the affected area herself.)
- Even North Carolina Republicans are left wondering when help will arrive, and why it’s taking so long.
- Needless to say, many western North Carolina residents are frustrated. There’s a petition calling for Whatley’s removal from the FEMA Review Council, and his speech at the Salt & Light Conference in Marion on Helene’s one-year anniversary, where he praised the region’s “resilience,” was met with protests.
- But things aren’t going well, so where is [Whatley]? What is he doing to make it better? Perhaps Whatley has been more vocal an advocate for western North Carolina than it publicly appears. But it doesn’t matter if the community can’t even tell if he’s showing up, and to brag about in campaign ads is a slap in the face to residents who feel they’ve been left behind. Rather than playing the blame game and campaigning for the job he wants, maybe Whatley should focus a little more on the job he was already given.
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