Map: Trump Has Often Delayed or Denied Disaster Aid

The Trump administration so far has refused to allocate federal disaster aid in a timely manner. Check out our interactive map for more details on the White House’s careless approach to major disaster declarations.

This is one part of our effort to track Trump’s disaster policy. It is based on our compilation and analysis of publicly available information. We have done our best to be comprehensive and accurate. Please contact stancil@therevolvingdoorproject.org if you have suggestions about how to improve this resource. Last updated on November 23.

When extreme weather strikes, and a state, territory, or tribal nation requires federal resources to respond adequately, a governor or tribal chief executive will ask the president to declare an emergency. Once local jurisdictions have completed initial damage assessments, a state, territorial, or tribal government may ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a joint preliminary damage assessment (PDA) to see if damages meet FEMA’s threshold for a major disaster declaration. Citing information collected in the PDA, a governor or tribal chief executive may ask the president to declare a major disaster. Following a particularly catastrophic event, officials may request, and could receive, an expedited disaster declaration before a PDA is finalized.

In 2025, FEMA’s disaster declaration threshold is a statewide per capita impact of $1.89 (i.e., that dollar amount multiplied by the state’s population). If monetary damages do not exceed that multiple, the federal government can consider other factors before making a decision. FEMA submits a recommendation to the White House about whether to approve a major disaster declaration request, but the president is free to disregard the agency’s advice.

If the president does declare a major disaster, it unlocks sorely needed federal resources, including the deployment of FEMA personnel and funds to reimburse households (Individual Assistance), rebuild infrastructure (Public Assistance), and invest in preventive action (Hazard Mitigation). State and local governments front the money for disaster recovery and after submitting receipts and invoices to FEMA, they are later repaid through the Public Assistance program. As Carnegie has explained, Trump’s FEMA has stalled the disbursement of federal funds to compensate jurisdictions for past recovery spending, jeopardizing the budgets of cash-strapped municipalities as they try to bounce back from earlier disasters.

As of November 23, President Donald Trump has issued 37 major disaster declarations, many of them belatedly. Trump has denied certain types of aid and/or excluded jurisdictions in all but one of his approvals, according to publicly available information. That includes a suspension of Hazard Mitigation funding since late March.

Trump has rejected at least 12 weather-related requests. Ten weather-related requests, including four appeals, are pending.

These decisions are reflected in the interactive map and spreadsheet below.

Highlights

With few exceptions, Trump has been allowing major disaster declaration requests to pile up for several weeks and then dealing with them in batches rather than processing them as they come in.

• On October 22, Trump partially approved four requests, three of which he had been sitting on for more than six weeks. On his Truth Social site, Trump wrote, “It is my Honor to deliver for the Great State of Alaska, which I won BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024.” Trump made a similar comment about “the beautiful State of North Dakota, which I won THREE times in 2016, 2020, and 2024,” and he praised Nebraska, which he has also won three times, as “a special place.”
  • Also on October 22, Trump rejected two requests from Illinois (a state he lost by 11 points in 2024) and another from Vermont (31 points). In addition, he denied an appeal from Maryland (29 points). Trump’s rhetoric raised concerns that his decisions were motivated to some degree by partisan considerations.

• Trump partially approved six requests on September 11—two days after the Associated Press published an analysis showing that his administration is taking more than a month, on average, to authorize federal disaster aid. That’s significantly slower than preceding administrations. The same day, he rejected a request from Nebraska.

• Trump partially approved seven requests on July 22—the day before Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson testified before House lawmakers—after sitting on them for weeks. The same day, he denied an appeal from Kentucky, and he rejected requests from Oklahoma, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and Maryland.

• Prior to a flurry of activity in late May (Trump partially approved 10 requests from May 21 to May 23), the president was sitting on several languishing requests submitted in the wake of extreme weather events that occurred in March and April.

In many cases, Trump has taken more than six weeks to approve major disaster declaration requests. Trump’s delayed responses force state and local governments to manage disasters without federal support for prolonged periods of time, needlessly endangering people’s lives.

• Following a severe winter storm that occurred in late March, residents of Michigan were forced to wait 67 days from the date of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) May 16 request until Trump’s July 22 approval.
• Following severe storms and straight-line winds that occurred in late June, members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe were forced to wait 65 days from the date of the tribal government’s August 18 request until Trump’s October 22 approval.
• Following severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred in mid-March, residents of Oregon were forced to wait 64 days from the date of Gov. Tina Kotek’s (D) May 19 request until Trump’s July 22 approval.
• Following severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred in early April, residents of Tennessee were forced to wait 63 days from the date of Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) April 17 request until Trump’s June 19 approval.
• Following wildfires and straight-line winds that occurred in mid-March, residents of Oklahoma were forced to wait 61 days from the date of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) March 21 request until Trump’s May 21 approval.
• Following severe storms, flooding, and straight-line winds that occurred in late May, members of the Crow Tribe of Montana were forced to wait 56 days from the date of the tribal government’s July 17 request until Trump’s September 11 approval.
• Following severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred in late March and early April, residents of Indiana were forced to wait 55 days from the date of Gov. Mike Braun’s (R) May 28 request until Trump’s July 22 approval.
• Following severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes that occurred in late June, residents of North Dakota were forced to wait 52 days from the date of Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s (R) July 21 request until Trump’s September 11 approval.
• Following severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred in mid-March, residents of Mississippi were forced to wait 50 days from the date of Gov. Tate Reeves’ (R) April 1 request until Trump’s May 21 approval.
• Following severe storms, tornadoes, and wildfires that occurred in mid-March, residents of Missouri were forced to wait 49 days from the date of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s (R) April 2 request until Trump’s May 21 approval.
• Following severe storms, straight-line winds, and flash flooding that occurred in early August, residents of Nebraska were forced to wait 48 days from the date of Gov. Jim Pillen’s (R) September 4 request until Trump’s October 22 approval.
• Following severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes that occurred in early August, residents of North Dakota were forced to wait 48 days from the date of Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s (R) September 4 request until Trump’s October 22 approval.
• Following severe storms and tornadoes that occurred in mid-March, residents of Arkansas were forced to wait 48 days from the date of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ (R) March 21 request until Trump’s May 8 approval.
  • Originally, Trump denied the request on April 11, prompting an appeal from Sanders. When she submitted the appeal on April 18, Arkansas was reeling in the aftermath of another round of storms, tornadoes, and floods.
• Following severe winter storms and flooding that occurred in mid-February, residents of Virginia were forced to wait 47 days from the date of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) February 16 request until Trump’s April 4 approval.
• Following severe storms and flooding that occurred in mid-June, members of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe were forced to wait 43 days from the date of the tribal government’s July 30 request until Trump’s September 11 approval.

Trump has rejected at least 12 requests for weather-related major disaster declarations.

• On October 22, Trump denied Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) August 19 appeal for federal disaster aid (Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms and flooding that occurred in mid-May. Moore submitted an appeal following Trump’s July 22 rejection of his June 11 request. From the date of Moore’s original request until Trump’s final denial, 133 days passed.
• On October 22, Trump rejected Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s (D) August 21 request for federal disaster aid (Individual Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms and flooding that occurred in late July. From the date of Pritzker’s request until Trump’s rejection, 62 days passed.
• On October 22, Trump rejected Vermont Gov. Phil Scott’s (R) August 22 request for federal disaster aid (Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms and flooding that occurred in early July. From the date of Scott’s request until Trump’s rejection, 61 days passed.
• On October 22, Trump rejected Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s (D) September 15 request for federal disaster aid (Individual Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms, straight-line winds, and flash flooding that occurred in mid-August. From the date of Pritzker’s request until Trump’s rejection, 37 days passed.
• On September 11, Trump rejected Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s (R) July 23 request for federal disaster aid (Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms and straight-line winds that occurred in late June. From the date of Pillen’s request until Trump’s rejection, 50 days passed.
• On July 22, Trump denied Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) June 4 appeal for federal disaster aid (Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of a severe winter storm that occurred in early January. Beshear submitted an appeal following Trump’s May 21 rejection of his January 31 request. From the date of Beshear’s original request until Trump’s final denial, 172 days passed.
• On July 22, Trump rejected Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) July 2 request for federal disaster aid (Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that occurred in late April and early May. Stitt submitted an appeal on August 19, and the case is pending.
• On July 22, Trump rejected the Rosebud Sioux tribal government’s June 26 request for federal disaster aid (Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms, and a tornado that occurred in late April. The tribe submitted an appeal on September 18, and the case is pending.
• On June 19, Trump denied Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s (D) May 7 appeal for federal disaster aid (Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) to deal with the aftermath of severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred in mid- to late November 2024. Ferguson submitted an appeal following Trump’s April 11 rejection of former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s (D) January 14 request. From the date of Inslee’s original request until Trump’s final denial, 156 days passed.
• On May 21, Trump rejected Hawaii Gov. Josh Green’s (D) March 14 request for federal disaster aid to deal with the aftermath of severe storms and flooding that occurred in late January. From the date of Green’s request until Trump’s rejection, 68 days passed.
• On April 11, Trump denied California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) December 2024 appeal for federal disaster aid to deal with the aftermath of wildfires that occurred in July and August of 2024. Newsom submitted an appeal following the Biden administration’s rejection of his September 2024 request. From the date of Newsom’s original request until Trump’s final denial, 199 days passed, including 81 days during the Trump administration.
• On April 11, Trump rejected Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) March 18 request for federal disaster aid to deal with the aftermath of severe storms that occurred in mid-February. From the date of Lee’s request until Trump’s rejection, 24 days passed.

Even when Trump approves a request, he rarely does so in full. Trump routinely denies certain types of aid and/or excludes certain counties.

• Of Trump’s 37 approvals, 36 of them have been partial, according to publicly available information.
• Certain counties appear to have been excluded from Individual Assistance or Public Assistance in nine cases (dates reflect when disaster declaration decisions were made): Kentucky 2/24, West Virginia 2/26, Arkansas 5/21, Missouri 5/21, Mississippi 5/21, Kentucky 5/23, Missouri 6/9, Tennessee 6/19, and Oregon 7/22.
• Individual Assistance appears to have been denied in five cases: Oklahoma 3/18, Virginia 4/4, Indiana 7/22, Michigan 7/22, and Oregon 7/22.
• Public Assistance appears to have been denied in two cases: Arkansas 5/8 and Wisconsin 9/11.
• Hazard Mitigation grants have been denied at least eight times: Virginia 4/4, Arkansas 5/8, Iowa 5/21, Missouri 5/21 (x2), Mississippi 5/21, Oklahoma 5/21, and Michigan 7/22.
• Hazard Mitigation grants remain under review in 23 cases: Kentucky 4/24, Arkansas 5/21, Kansas 5/21, Nebraska 5/21, Texas 5/21, Kentucky 5/23, Texas 7/6, Indiana 7/22, Kansas 7/22, Missouri 7/22, New Mexico 7/22, Oregon 7/22, West Virginia 7/22, Crow Tribe of Montana 9/11, Kansas 9/11, North Carolina 9/11, North Dakota 9/11, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe 9/11, Wisconsin 9/11, Alaska 10/22, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe 10/22, Nebraska 10/22, and North Dakota 10/22.

Trump has not approved Hazard Mitigation funding since March.

• Governors typically request Hazard Mitigation funding—which enables investments in risk reduction to prevent and lessen the impacts of future disasters—alongside Individual Assistance and/or Public Assistance when they ask the president for a major disaster declaration. Historically, those requests have been greenlit as part of the disaster declaration. However, after approving three requests for Hazard Mitigation grants early in his term (Kentucky 2/24, West Virginia 2/26, and Oklahoma 3/18), Trump has not approved a request for such funding since March.
  • On April 4, Trump approved Virginia’s request for a major disaster declaration but declined to include Hazard Mitigation money as part of the federal aid package. That marked the first time on record that a president excluded Hazard Mitigation funding when approving a major disaster declaration request, according to E&E News. Trump has repeated this pattern ever since.
    • The freeze on Hazard Mitigation money reflects recommendations found in an April 12 memo that then-acting FEMA administrator Charles Hamilton sent to an official in the White House Office of Management and Budget. Among other things, Hamilton’s memo called for halting the automatic approval of Hazard Mitigation spending when issuing major disaster declarations.
    • Hamilton’s memo also advocated for quadrupling the damage threshold a state would need to meet to qualify for Public Assistance, and it pushed for keeping the federal cost share for disaster recovery from exceeding 75%. An Urban Institute analysis found that if those proposed changes had been in place, 71% of major disasters declared from 2008 to 2024 would not have qualified, and state and local governments would have missed out on $41 billion in aid.

Interactive Map

The above photo, a work of the federal government, is in the public domain.