Two weeks ago, during his State of the State address, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said West Virginia would be working closely with the Trump administration to make substantial improvements in the Mountain State.
At the time, we noted devotion to President Donald Trump did not guarantee reciprocity.
And now, when West Virginians really need him, Trump’s helping hand seems out of reach.
Morrisey is seeking a Major Disaster Declaration from the Trump administration to unlock federal aid to recover from flooding nearly two weeks ago that killed three people, destroyed homes, washed out bridges and demolished roads throughout Southern West Virginia. Trump could have approved such funding immediately with an emergency declaration. So far, though, the president has seemingly been deaf to Morrisey’s plea.
Make no mistake, the state of West Virginia does not have the resources to build back from this disaster on its own. Morrisey and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., have said as much. Neither has criticized the president over a lack of response.
But they should be concerned, considering the Trump administration has already laid off about 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which administers financial aid during such disasters, leaving the vital agency in disarray. Trump has even talked about shutting FEMA down completely, although, as president, he doesn’t have the power to do so. Such an action would require congressional approval.
FEMA has been vital to West Virginians in the past, especially as it pertains to recovery from flooding. Navigating the agency’s bureaucracy has, at times, led to some problems, and money given by the agency has occasionally been misused by local authorities. But, without FEMA, West Virginia would still be trying to recover from disasters that struck decades ago.
Morrisey and others now find themselves in the uncomfortable position of needing federal help from a government they’ve decried in the past, and relying on a leader they can’t criticize, who has handed over demolition of vital federal agencies to the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.
Trump granted an emergency declaration for Kentucky, which was arguably hit harder than West Virginia by this month’s flooding. It’s possible that Trump will eventually grant major disaster status to West Virginia, although it’ll be hard to understand why he didn’t do it sooner with an emergency declaration.
For now, it appears a state that gave Trump 70% of the vote in last year’s election is being snubbed in its time of need.
