Bipartisan Letter Urges Support for Governor Whitmer’s Disaster Aid Request
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI) together with Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI-01), are calling on President Trump to revisit his administration’s denial of key federal disaster relief to northern Michigan communities still recovering from the March 2025 ice storm. While some federal aid has been approved for local governments, FEMA excluded crucial forms of assistance such as federal support for public utilities and direct aid for impacted residents.
“The winter storms resulted in severe ice accumulation, widespread destruction to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, and caused long-term power outages for hundreds of thousands of residents,” the lawmakers wrote. “Rural electric cooperative companies…were hit hard by the storm, with restoration costs exceeding $150 million for each co-op. Without PA category F, these co-ops will have to recover these losses through increased costs paid by their local customers…These rate increases are expected to continue for many years, placing a greater financial burden on already vulnerable areas.”
Read the full text of the letter here.
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