Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House March 10 to discuss disaster recovery and critical infrastructure projects. During the visit, the president approved federal funding to assist northern Michigan communities with recovery efforts following a historic ice storm in 2025.
The federal funding comes after months of coordination between House Republicans and the Trump administration following the Spring 2025 ice storm. The assistance is intended to help northern Michigan residents, small businesses and utilities cover the costs of recovery.
Whitmer provided an update during the meeting regarding deadly tornadoes that struck southwest Michigan on Friday. She also requested an update on the state’s appeal for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to assist residents and small businesses affected by the ice storms.
The discussion also covered two major infrastructure initiatives, including the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County. Michigan officials are seeking to bring new fighter jets to the base to improve national security and protect thousands of local jobs. Additionally, Whitmer addressed the Brandon Road Interbasin project, which is designed to prevent invasive carp from damaging the Great Lakes economy. The governor stated that funding must be released so the Army Corps of Engineers can begin construction.
State Rep. Parker Fairbairn emphasized that the federal relief for the ice storm was the result of a long-term coordination effort. Fairbairn credited work between House Republicans and the Trump administration that began when the state budget included initial relief dollars. “I’m grateful to President Trump for approving these dollars. This support will mean so much to Northern Michigan families and businesses,” Fairbairn said. “We’ve been working with the Trump administration to secure these funds for months. That work started when Speaker Hall and I ensured our state budget included dollars for ice storm relief. That funding cleared the way for these federal dollars that will now directly benefit our Northern Michigan communities.”
Despite the federal approval, Fairbairn noted that a separate state-level relief effort remains stalled. He is currently pushing for the passage of a $100 million state relief plan that he introduced to provide further assistance to northern Michigan.
The $100 million state relief plan currently awaits action in the Senate. “The work isn’t done. The Senate still needs to pass my $100 million state relief plan that will secure even more help for Northern Michigan,” Fairbairn said. “They’ve been sitting on it for nearly a year; our communities have waited long enough.”