Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday it was disheartening to see President Trump threaten to withhold funding from the state over its vote-by-mail plans and that she will aggressively seek federal assistance after a “500-year” flooding event this week.
She said that on top of battling the “hundred-year event” of COVID-19, the state is also now dealing with a “500-year” event after two dams breached Tuesday and led to severe flooding in Midland County.
“To see Twitter this morning and to see rhetoric like that is disheartening,” the Democratic governor said.
She said Mr. Trump might have been confused about what the state was doing.
Ms. Whitmer said she plans to be “very aggressive” about asking for help from the federal government and FEMA to deal with the flood.
She didn’t answer directly when asked if she would call on the president to see the disaster firsthand. He’s scheduled to travel to Michigan this week on an unrelated trip.
“I’ve been in regular communication with the federal government and I will continue to do so,” she said, expressing hope that she can get some help in cutting through “red tape” more quickly.
“I know that the president is scheduled to come to Michigan tomorrow,” she said. It is my intention that we will be able to give them a full briefing before they come into the state so that they know precisely what we’re confronting.”
Ms. Whitmer urged residents in affected areas to evacuate if they haven’t already done so.
“We’re very pleased to see a 10,000-person evacuation that has, I think, gone as well as something like this can go,” she said.
Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Trump had threatened to hold up funding to Michigan if the state pressed forward with what he described as an illegal plan to send absentee ballots to registered voters in the state.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said all registered voters in the state would get an application to vote by mail in the August and November elections, citing public health risks due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Trump also issued a similar threat to Nevada, another key battleground state. Nevada is sending all active registered voters an absentee ballot for the state’s June 9 primary.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, called Mr. Trump’s threat “inappropriate and outrageous.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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