Guno צְבִי
We fight, We win, Am Yisrael Chai
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.
- 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.
