DEJA VU: Trump is Politicizing Disaster Aid Again

Washington, DC – Trump rejected disaster aid requests from four Democratic-led states, just two days after approving aid for six Republican-led states. This is just the latest example of Trump playing politics with disaster relief funding. Previous reporting found that Trump had approved just 23% of disaster aid requests from Democratic-led states, compared to 89% for Republican-led states. Trump’s politicizing of aid goes back to his first term. In 2020, Trump reportedly withheld federal relief to Washington following wildfires due to his dislike of Democratic Governor Jay Inslee.

Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued the following statement: “Trump has a long history of playing politics with disaster relief, giving freely to his friends and withholding it from his political enemies. Having been a governor who literally has tried to help people standing in the ashes of their homes, nothing is more infuriating than watching an American president deny aid to these families in their most trying hours. His pettiness falls upon the most vulnerable people. They shouldn’t have to rely on the political whims of the President to get the help they need.”     

Trump has consistently politicized disaster aid: 

• As of March 2026, it was three times harder for Democratic-led states to get Trump’s approval for federal disaster aid. Trump approved just 23% of disaster aid requests from Democratic-led states, compared to 89% for Republican-led states.
• Trump has taken longer to approve or deny federal disaster aid than previous administrations, especially for states where a majority did not vote for him.
• Trump has taken an average of 63 days to make decisions about Democratic states’ disaster assistance requests, but fewer than 40 days for Republican states’ requests.
• Under Trump, pending FEMA disaster applications have sat longer on average than at any other point in the previous 37 years.
• In the first year of his second term, Trump denied and delayed disaster aid for 18 states: Oregon, Maryland, Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia, Michigan, Kentucky, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Washington, Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Vermont, Alaska, and Wisconsin.
• Trump has cut key FEMA staff, delaying the distribution of critical disaster funding. 
• In 2025, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security drafted plans to cut FEMA’s workforce by more than 50%, which would have resulted in the loss of more than 11,500 jobs.
• After the Los Angeles wildfires in 2025, Trump and Republican congressional leaders threatened to attach conditions to federal disaster aid to California.
• Trump politicized aid during his first term as well. Former administration officials claimed Trump treated disaster funding as a “pot of cash for him to dole out as he saw fit,” often dependent on how he was treated personally by politicians in the state.
• In 2020, Trump reportedly withheld federal relief to Washington following wildfires due to his dislike of Democratic Governor Jay Inslee.