Election-year review of disaster relief funds draws rebuke from Kentucky governor

FRANKF ORT, Ky. — Disaster recovery funds set up by Kentucky’s Democratic governor to assist victims of tornadoes and flooding will be scrutinized by the state auditor’s office at the request of a Republican-led legislative panel, a decision fraught with political undertones. Beshear, who was front and center after the storms hit and has been widely praised for mobilizing support for the stricken regions, called the timing of the review “grossly political.” The auditor’s office said in its announcement that it will conduct a special examination of the Beshear administration’s “acceptance, administration and expenditure” of donated relief funds after tornadoes ravaged parts of western Kentucky in late 2021 and floods inundated the state’s Appalachian region last summer. It’s rebuilding hundreds of homes that otherwise wouldn’t have the funding to rebuild.” The involvement of the auditor’s office comes a few months after state lawmakers passed a measure that Beshear signed to create a layer of legislative oversight for such relief funds. Their letter cited a state law stating that the auditor’s office shall assist the committee in “whatever manner the co-chairs deem … helpful.” Cameron’s running mate, GOP state Sen. Robby Mills, said Thursday that Beshear’s administration provided “unsatisfactory answers” to lawmakers last month about the relief efforts, adding that Kentuckians “deserve better.” There is no set date for when the special examination will be completed, the auditor’s office said. Beshear stoutly defended the funds’ management Thursday, saying: “Every transaction, every check, every cent is accounted for and where it’s been sent.” He has said the funds made it possible to respond quickly to help people in dire need.