Don’t Believe the Spin: Trump Has Repeatedly Tried to Undermine the Disaster Relief Program That is Stalled by the Republican Shutdown
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Washington, D.C. – Republican leadership and the administration are blaming Democrats for putting disaster aid at risk, but Trump has a record of trying to gut the disaster relief program that is stalled by the Republican shutdown. Trump and congressional Republicans have allowed the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to expire, potentially leaving millions of Americans without coverage during hurricane season. Trump let the NFIP expire during a previous shutdown, and his former acting FEMA head even recommended halting enrollment in the program earlier this year.
Trump has systematically eroded our disaster response, leaving us vulnerable and unprepared for hurricane season. Now, Trump and Republicans in Congress are making it worse, all to protect tax cuts for billionaires.
Climate Power communications director Alex Glass issued the following statement: “Republicans are looking for someone else to blame for putting disaster relief at risk, but the call is coming from inside the house. Since his first day in office, Trump has enacted his Project 2025 wishlist and gutted our disaster preparedness. Now, Trump has potentially left millions of Americans without flood insurance coverage in the middle of hurricane season.”
Trump is using the shutdown to fulfill his Project 2025 agenda of cutting the National Flood Insurance Program:
- Trump and Congressional Republicans have allowed the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to expire, leaving homeowners unable to access new coverage.
- The National Flood Insurance Program has typically been shielded from shutdowns, although Trump let it expire during a brief shutdown in early 2018.
- Trump appears to be fulfilling part of the Project 2025 wishlist by using the shutdown to eliminate the program. Project 2025 stated, “The NFIP should be wound down and replaced with private insurance starting with the least risky areas currently identified by the program.”
- The day after the NFIP expired, Neptune Insurance, the nation’s largest private flood insurance company, went public on the New York Stock Exchange.
- Trump’s former acting FEMA administrator issued a memo in March 2025 that recommended halting enrollment in the NFIP.
- Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget sought to cut nearly $9 billion from the NFIP over 10 years and eliminate the NFIP’s Flood Hazard Mapping Program.
- Trump has repeatedly proposed budgets that would cut the NFIP’s Flood Hazard Mapping Program.
- Eliminating or undermining the NFIP has been a longtime goal of Trump and his allies. Vice President JD Vance and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin both voted against extending the NFIP while in Congress, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy supported legislation that would have boosted the use of private flood insurance.