Whatley was tapped by Trump to led hurricane recovery in North Carolina. However, Whatley was reported as being absent during the recovery process and criticized for failing to step up. Whatley’s failure to help residents of western North Carolina led to a petition calling for Whatley to be removed from his position.
Despite Whatley’s claims that the Trump administration wouldn’t abandon Western North Carolina, federal funding has been bottlenecked and FEMA staff were cut. When asked about Secretary Noem’s decision to fast-track disaster aid for donors in Florida over Western North Carolina, Whatley dodged the question.
Since Whatley’s Appointment, He Has Rarely Been Visible In Helene’s Disaster Zone And His Activity Tied To The Hurricane Was As Co-Chair Of The Final Report Subcommittee Of The FEMA Review Council Which Has Only Met Twice In Seven Months. According to Smoky Mountain News, “Since his appointment, Whatley has rarely, if ever, been visible in Helene’s disaster zone. His most substantial activity tied to recovery has been as co-chair of the Final Report Subcommittee of the FEMA Review Council, which records from the Federal Register show has met only twice in seven months, for a total of about three hours.” [Smoky Mountain News, 8/27/25]
A Western North Carolina Resident Claimed That They Haven’t Seen Whatley And That “There’s A Lot Of People Still Struggling.” According to the Charlotte Observer, “‘Not very positively,’ said Marion resident Anna Caldwell, 62, when asked how she felt about Whatley speaking in Western North Carolina on the anniversary. ‘Because he was named the czar of recovery back in January, and we haven’t seen him, and we certainly haven’t seen that he’s been doing anything. I mean, we’ve gotten 10% of our money in 365 days. There’s a lot of people still struggling.’” [Charlotte Observer, 9/27/25]
Residents And Business Owners From Black Mountain And Swannanoa Criticized Whatley For The Helene Recovery In Which They Claimed He Hasn’t Done Anything. According to WLOS, “Residents and business owners from Black Mountain and Swannanoa held a news conference Monday to criticize Michael Whatley, whom President Donald Trump deemed the region's Helene recovery czar. […] In January, when Trump visited Western North Carolina, he said Whatley's role as the hurricane recovery ‘czar’ would be to help with recovery efforts and get money to the region. Those who attended the event on Monday, however, see it differently; They said they have not seen Whatley doing anything.” [WLOS, 9/8/25]
Margaret Ackiss, A Member Of The NCGOP’s 11th Congressional District Executive Committee, Claimed That Whatley Never Stepped Up. According to Smokey Mountain News, “‘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.” [Smokey Mountain News, 10/22/25]
Conrad Wrobel Claimed That Whatley’s Job Performance Was A Zero On A Scale Of Ten And That Whatley Has “Done An Extremely Poor Job.” According to Smokey Mountain News, “Conrad Wrobel and his Laurel Park neighbors are some of the people involved in digging out from one of the storm’s most destructive slides — a Henderson County hillside that dissolved into a torrent of mud, debris and shattered lumber that left one retired couple facing an $800,000 total loss and homeowners worried about declining property values. A year after the slide, Wrobel said neither his subdivision nor his town has seen a single dollar in federal reimbursement for the slide. ‘If it were on a scale of 10, it’d be a zero,’ he said of Whatley’s job performance, ‘because we’ve not had any interaction with him. The funding has not come down in any way. Municipalities are suffering, trying to get just some basic things done. They have to take loans to try and get funding for repairs and whatever design or engineering is required for remediation. I’d say he’s done an extremely poor job.” [Smokey Mountain News, 10/22/25]
An Attorney Helping Residents Navigate FEMA Applications Claimed That Swannanoa Still Haven’t Had A Grocery Store Or Post Office And That FEMA Appeals Were Taking Up To 180 Days. According to WLOS, “‘My clients are still waiting for answers to their buyout applications, FEMA appeals are taking up to 180 days. Swannanoa still doesn’t have a grocery store or post office. Residents are driving to downtown Asheville to pick up their mail a year after this storm,’ Stearnes added.” [WLOS, 9/8/25]
Owner Of Lookout Brewing Company Claimed That Tens Of Millions Of Disaster Relief Was Bottlenecked By The Federal Government. According to WLOS, “‘The president said Michael Whatley was going to make sure that all of us get the relief that we need,’ said John Garcia, owner of Lookout Brewing Company in Black Mountain. ‘Folks across Western North Carolina are waiting for tens of millions of dollars of disaster relief that’s been bottlenecked by the federal government while [Washington] D.C. plays games with people's lives.’” [WLOS, 9/8/25]
FEMA Under Trump Cut Staff, Ended Grant Programs, And Added New Barriers To Funding. According to NOTUS, “When Trump took office months later, he mused about abolishing the agency and fired its chief. His administration has since waffled on what it wants to do with FEMA, but has cut staff significantly, ended grant programs and added new barriers to funding. North Carolina has joined several lawsuits against FEMA for withholding disaster aid and preparedness funds.” [NOTUS, 11/26/25]
The Letter Stated That Whatley Forgotten Western North Carolina And That Whatley Wasn’t “Up To The Task.” According to Smokey Mountain News, “Whatley’s recorded comments came after more than 120 people from 17 counties across the Helene-impacted region signed a letter demanding Whatley be removed from his position. ‘Michael Whatley has failed us and forgotten about us,’ the letter states. ‘We have spoken out for months, because we simply cannot stay silent and let his failure continue to hurt our communities. Both Democrats and Republicans have called out the sluggish response. It’s clear that Whatley just isn’t up to the task.’” [Smokey Mountain News, 10/22/25]
The Letter Claimed That Whatley Failed To Deliver Pre-Approved And Promised Federal Funds. According to Smokey Mountain News, “Addressed to FEMA Review Council co-chairs Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth, the letter accuses Whatley of ‘failing to deliver pre-approved, promised federal relief funds’ and ‘forgetting about’ the communities he was appointed to help. It cites sluggish federal reimbursements, lingering infrastructure damage and a lack of public engagement from Whatley as reasons for their discontent.” [Smokey Mountain News, 10/22/25]
[VIDEO] Whatley Refused To Answer A Question About Denouncing Secretary Noem’s Decision To Send Disaster Relief Funding For Florida Donors Over North Carolina. “INTERVIEWER: Do you denounce Secretary Noem’s decision to send disaster relief funding for Florida donors over North Carolina. WHATLEY: Good morning. INTERVIEWER: Do you have no response to that question? WHATLEY: How are you? INTERVIEWER: Do support Secretary Noem in sending disaster relief funding to Florida donors over North Carolina? No response? No response okay. Thank you, sir. No response.” [Michael Whatley Avoids Disaster Relief Question, 9/29/25]