Colorado's FEMA funding at stake amid Trump's agency overhaul
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
/2025/03/17/1742238403473.gif?w=3840)
Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
Cutting FEMA aid would hit red states especially hard, but Colorado wouldn't go unscathed.
Why it matters: President Trump this year floated "fundamentally overhauling or reforming" FEMA, or "maybe getting rid" of it — fueling concerns that U.S. disaster relief could be thrown into chaos just before Colorado's hail and wildfire seasons ramp up.
The big picture: Trump's proposed FEMA overhaul isn't the only funding fight at play.
- The agency is also threatening to pull grant money from Denver over an immigration dispute.
Zoom in: In a letter to the city of Denver last week, FEMA warned of withholding millions in promised grant money over accusations that city officials misused funds to provide temporary shelter and other aid to immigrants, the AP first reported.
- The letter says Denver may be "guilty of encouraging or inducing an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States in violation of law" — a claim the mayor's office refutes, per the Denver Post.
By the numbers: Denver was promised about $32 million in grant dollars through FEMA's Shelter and Services Program for immigrants between 2023 and 2024, agency figures show.
- Since 2015, Colorado has received an average of $12.6 million per year in relief funding from FEMA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, per a new analysis from the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database.
Yes, but: Colorado receives a fraction of what some southern states get in FEMA funding.
- Florida, for example, received an average of $2.1 billion per year since 2015 — more than 150 times as much — while Louisiana and Texas both receive over $1 billion annually.
What's next: Denver officials say they're "currently reviewing" FEMA's letter, per the Post.
- The city has 30 days to provide names and contact information for immigrants served along with "a detailed and descriptive list of specific services provided," the letter states.
- FEMA says funding will be withheld during the review.