Governors accuse Trump admin of stalling disaster recovery
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President Trump delivers a statement on natural disaster preparedness in the Oval Office on June 10. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Multiple governors say they're being increasingly pushed to scrounge for disaster recovery money without the support they traditionally rely on from the federal government.
Why it matters: The president has the sole power to issue disaster declarations, but states are finding emergencies that would usually qualify for federal assistance are being slow-walked or denied in recent months.
Driving the news: President Trump announced Sunday that he had signed a major disaster declaration to help free up federal resources for Kerr County, Texas, after devastating floods killed at least 120 people. Yet, other state leaders say they were denied or are still waiting for additional help.
- In April, the Trump administration denied a request submitted by former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee after a bomb cyclone ripped through the state in November. The administration then denied an appeal of its decision in late June. In response, Gov. Bob Ferguson posted on X that there are "very clear criteria to qualify" for disaster recovery funds, and that "Washington's application met all of them."
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein's request for an extension of federal assistance for Hurricane Helene recovery in May, after stating the request was "not warranted."
- Additionally, the administration initially denied an April request from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to declare a series of destructive storms and tornadoes in March a major disaster, before reversing the decision upon appeal in May.
- West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday that he is pushing for the Trump administration to grant a disaster declaration for two counties in his state after flash flooding from heavy rain killed at least nine people in mid-June.
By the numbers: Since February, Trump denied six out of 10 major-disaster requests from Democrat-run states, while approving 14 out of 15 requests from Republican governors, according to an investigation from NPR affiliate KUOW.
- A FEMA spokesperson did not immediately respond to Axios' request for details on why certain major disaster declarations were denied.
What they're saying: Gov. Stein said that while his state has a "sophisticated" emergency response team, only the federal government has the resources to successfully react to a major disaster.
- "It doesn't make sense for each state to have a fully staffed Emergency Response Team," Stein told CNBC Thursday morning. "Because they may not have a storm for five years or 10 years, but we know the country will. So let's have that expertise in the federal government."
