Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump returned to storm-battered Asheville and Swannanoa on Friday and outlined a vague plan to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency and shift disaster-recovery responsibilities to state governments.
Trump said he will issue an executive order “to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” which he described as “costing a tremendous amount of money, is very bureaucratic and is very slow.”
Although the centerpiece of the visit was a visit with families devastated by Tropical Storm Helene, the president’s comments Friday consisted heavily of an attack on former President Joe Biden and FEMA.
“Biden did a bad job,” Trump said.
“You are not forgotten any longer,” he told local political leaders and supporters just minutes after landing at Asheville Regional Airport and the attacks continued at several points during the visit. “You’ve been treated very badly by the previous administration.”
His attacks on FEMA follow false claims he made in October when he visited Swannanoa. Then he said the agency was running out of money because funds were being diverted to help “illegal migrants” enter the country with the possible intention of illegally voting for Democrats in the election.
First lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump disembark from Air Force One at Asheville Regional Airport. // WLOS credit: WLOS staff
At Buncombe County’s Helene briefing Wednesday, spokesperson Lillian Govus said FEMA had provided more than $100 million in individual assistance in the county and urged residents who hadn’t registered with the agency to do so. She also said 700 households in the county had qualified for rental assistance through FEMA.
The president’s visit was his first outside of Washington, D.C., since his inauguration Monday. He said his staff urged him to go to Los Angeles first to meet with victims of southern California’s devastating wildfires. But he said first lady Melania Trump urged him to stop in western North Carolina along the way, which he agreed was the right decision.
“In the campaign I promised I’d come back to western North Carolina to help the people of the state and today, here I am to deliver on that promise,” he said.
At his meeting inside an airport hangar, Trump said he has directed his staff to speed up recovery by directing federal agencies to ignore normal permitting requirements and start construction immediately. And he said he has directed the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to focus immediately on projects involving federal highways, bridges and watersheds. In late 2024, prior to his inauguration, the Corps spearheaded a $39 million six-month project to install a mobile filtration system at North Fork Reservoir.
Paramount in the effort, however, was getting FEMA out of the way.
Trump:States should be responsible
In its place, Trump said he would require individual states to take over disaster relief and recovery projects, with the federal government’s role largely limited to paying a minor percentage of the total costs.
“If [North Carolina] did this from the beginning, it would have been done better,” he said. “That’s what we have states for; they take care of problems and a governor can handle something very quickly.”
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat who took office earlier this month, met Trump upon his landing and attended the airport meeting. He spoke privately with the president and reiterated the state’s need for federal relief assistance, according to a spokesperson, but he wasn’t invited to address the meeting nor accompany Trump on the visit to Swannanoa.
Despite their partisan differences, both appeared cordial to each other, and Trump said he expected to work closely with Stein in rebuilding the hard-hit region “bigger, better and stronger.”
The president said he would immediately begin to shift federal responsibility for the post-Helene recovery effort away from FEMA and give it to an ad hoc committee of three Republican members of Congress – Chuck Edwards, Virginia Foxx and Tim Moore – and Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley, who lives in the state.
“I’m not really thinking about FEMA right now,” he said. “I’m thinking about Michael Whatley and the three congresspeople to handle this.”
Edwards, whose district was ground-zero for the storm, has led the congressional effort to craft and direct a $116 billion federal appropriation to fund the region’s recovery, primarily through FEMA. But neither he nor any of the ad hoc committee has experience in disaster recovery efforts.
Nor was its task made clear. The president’s off-the-cuff directive appeared to assign the four people the job of being a liaison between the state government and the White House.
‘Never seen such damage’
Trump seemed awestruck by Helene’s devastation, frequently commenting on its magnitude and impact on its victims.
“When I came here, I couldn’t believe the damage,” he said. ‘I’ve never seen such damage done by water.”
Among the several swipes he took at his predecessor, Trump blamed Biden for the suffering of the thousands of people who lost their homes and who continue to struggle to find shelter “in freezing, 20-degree weather.
“I don’t know how they did that one,” he continued, “because it was cold [in the area] even while your government provided shelter and housing for illegal aliens from all over the world. But under the Trump administration, the days of betrayal and neglect are over.”
The president traveled in a motorcade from the airport to one of the most hard-hit sections of Swannanoa. The tour was guided by evangelist Franklin Graham, the son of the late Billy Graham, who said he grew up nearby and considered it his home.
The visit culminated in a news conference in the debris-strewn yard of one family’s heavily damaged house, where several victims described their experiences during the storm and in the following weeks as they sought assistance from FEMA and other organizations. Graham introduced the president to members of four families whose homes and businesses were lost.
Trump responded with sympathy, criticism of FEMA, and effusive praise for Graham and the disaster-response organization he leads, Samaritan’s Purse, which has been active in the region.
“FEMA has been a disaster no matter where they are,” the president said.
Swannanoa resident Lucy Bickers waited in the chilly weather in the hope that the president would see that many people, including her, had been assisted by FEMA and were grateful for its support. // Watchdog photo by Starr Sariego
Voices of support for FEMA
Trump’s attacks on the agency weren’t shared by all. Swannanoa resident Lucy Bickers was among the several dozen people who lined a section of the main highway through Swannanoa along the motorcade’s route. She carried a hand-painted sign with the words “FEMA Helped Me.”
She said she waited in the chilly weather in the hope that the president would see that many people, including her, had been assisted by the federal agency and were grateful for its support.
“I’m here to provide some balance and get the word out that FEMA helped me and a lot of people I know,” Bickers said.
Two other sign holders joined in the effort and to plead that FEMA’s rental assistance program extended indefinitely. The program is gradually being cut back and may expire in early February, although many victims remain without regular housing, they said.
“People are still sleeping in cold cars,” said Rene Rickman. “How safe is that?”
Autumn Miller stood beside Rickman with a sign reading, “TRUMP, Many More Homeless on Jan. 25, Plz Extend Vouchers.”
Both acknowledged they wouldn’t know if the president noticed their signs as his limousine sped by. But Rickman said she hoped that anyone who did see her would understand that her intention wasn’t political. Rather, she said, it was an attempt to help desperate people in need of federal assistance.
“Maybe if he understood the problem he would do something,” Rickman said.“We just want somebody to do something.”
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Tom Fiedler is a Pulitzer Prize-winning political reporter and dean emeritus from Boston University who lives in Asheville. Email him at tfiedler@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.
SUMMARY: Jim Jenkins, a North Carolina baseball trailblazer and Negro Leagues player, exemplified resilience and excellence both on and off the field. His sons recall his superior skills—hitting, running, and catching—and how he faced challenges due to his skin color. Beyond baseball, Jenkins was a community father, teaching youths fundamentals and helping those in need. He shared a friendship with legend Hank Aaron, often attending Braves games with his family. His legacy endures through his children, who honor not just his athletic achievements but his kindness and humanity, inspiring future generations to carry on his impact.
James “Jim” Jenkins had a profound impact on the game of baseball as a trailblazer known in the Carolinas.
SUMMARY: A scientist reflecting on the politicization of science warns that ideological influence undermines objectivity, breeds mistrust, and hampers public understanding. The FY2026 budget proposal cut NIH funding by about 40%, saving taxpayers $18 billion, but only 1.5% of the total federal budget, while increasing defense spending by 13%. These cuts severely impact states like North Carolina, where science drives $2.4 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. The cuts target indirect costs vital for research infrastructure and diversity efforts, mistakenly seen as ideological rather than essential scientific practices. The author calls for unity to prioritize facts over politics and protect scientific progress for societal and economic health.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-15 02:01:00
North Carolina’s U.S. House members voted along party lines on two Republican-backed bills: the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), which cuts \$1.6 trillion in government spending, and the “Rescissions Act of 2025” (H.R. 4), which eliminates \$9.4 billion from entities like USAID and public broadcasting. Republicans called it a purge of waste, citing spending on drag shows and foreign projects. Democrats criticized the cuts as harmful and symbolic, calling the effort fiscally irresponsible. H.R. 1 passed 215-214; H.R. 4 passed 214-212. No Democrats supported either. A few Republicans broke ranks and voted against their party on each bill.
(The Center Square) – North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives were unwavering of party preference for two bills now awaiting finalization in the Senate.
Republicans who favored them say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, known also as House Resolution 1, slashed $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse of government systems. The Rescissions Act of 2025, known also as House Resolution 4, did away with $9.4 billion – less than six-tenths of 1% of the other legislation – in spending by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Corp. for Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR), and other entities.
Democrats against them say the Department of Government Efficiency made “heartless budget cuts” and was an “attack on the resources that North Carolinians were promised and that Congress has already appropriated.”
Republicans from North Carolina in favor of both were Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
Democrats against were Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
Foxx said the surface was barely skimmed with cuts of “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at our southern border; $24,000 for a national spelling bee in Bosnia; $1.5 million to mobilize elderly, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be involved in the Costa Rica political process; $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador; and $32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru.”
Adams said, “While Elon Musk claimed he would cut $1 trillion from the federal government, the recissions package amounts to less than 1% of that. Meanwhile, House Republicans voted just last month to balloon the national debt by $3 trillion in their One Big Ugly Bill. It’s fiscal malpractice, not fiscal responsibility.”
House Resolution 1 passed 215-214 and House Resolution 4 went forward 214-212. Republican Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were against the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Michael Turner of Ohio were against the Rescissions Act.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward report on the partisan positions and voting outcomes related to two specific bills, highlighting the contrasting views of Republicans and Democrats without using loaded or emotionally charged language. It neutrally conveys the Republicans’ framing of the bills as efforts to cut waste and reduce spending, alongside Democrats’ critique of those cuts as harmful and insufficient fiscal discipline. By providing direct quotes from representatives of both parties and clearly stating voting results, the content maintains factual reporting without promoting a particular ideological stance. The balanced presentation of arguments and absence of editorializing indicate a commitment to neutrality rather than an intentional partisan perspective.
