Today, DC insider Michael Whatley failed once again as Western North Carolina’s “recovery czar” after the FEMA Review Council canceled a long-awaited meeting to discuss their final report, which is already nearly a month late. Whatley is the co-chair of the Final Report Subcommittee.

“Time and time again, Michael Whatley fails Western North Carolina. He has failed to deliver federal relief to Helene victims and now he continues to fail to complete the FEMA Review Council’s final report. If he can’t do the one job he has, he absolutely won’t get anything done for North Carolina in the U.S. Senate,” said Mallory Payne, senior communications advisor at the North Carolina Democratic Party. 

Whatley was put in charge of federal Helene recovery efforts in January, tapped by the president to “lead the team” and be “very much in charge.” Since then, only 11 percent of needs have been met in Western North Carolina.

Western North Carolinians have sounded the alarm on Whatley’s failures:

• • 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.

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