FEMA Disaster-Aid Denials Draw Fire as Politics, Policy Intersect | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

President Donald Trump on Oct. 23 approved major disaster declarations for three states while rejecting similar requests from Illinois, Vermont, Maryland and Wisconsin—a series of Federal Emergency Management Agency decisions that appeared to track along partisan lines, according to public records and Associated Press reporting.

FEMA approved major disaster declarations for Alaska, Nebraska and North Dakota in response to summer and fall storms that caused widespread coastal and inland damage, unlocking both individual and public assistance. But it denied similar requests elsewhere.

In Wisconsin, the agency declined a request for Public Assistance for six counties affected by August flooding, stating that "the program is not warranted." Similarly, Maryland’s request for aid following May floods and its appeal were both rejected. Vermont’s request for public infrastructure repairs due to July flooding was also denied, as was Illinois’ petition for disaster aid after storms in mid-August.

Trump highlighted the Alaska approval in a social-media post, writing that he was “approving $25 million dollars to help Alaska recover” and adding, “It is my honor to deliver for the Great State of Alaska, which I won BIG … I will never let you down.”

Blue States Get the Cold Shoulder

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) sought a federal disaster declaration for five counties—Boone, Cook, Kane, McHenry and Will—after Aug. 16-19 storms and flash floods caused widespread damage. Sens. Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) urged the administration to approve the request, citing torrential rainfall and destructive winds.

Maryland’s Gov. Wes Moore (D) denounced FEMA’s rejection following summer floods, saying, “This outcome is not just deeply frustrating—it ignores the devastation wrought by historic floods in Appalachia and leaves Marylanders on their own. President Trump and his administration have politicized disaster relief, and our communities are the ones who will pay the price.”

In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers (D) called the denial of aid for six counties “disappointing and short-sighted,” saying it “sends a message to our communities that they are on their own, and that the Trump administration doesn’t think over $26 million in damages to public infrastructure is worthy of their help.” The Wisconsin denial covered Door, Grant, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.

A brief FEMA letter to the state explained that, “After evaluation of damage assessments, the Public Assistance program is not warranted.”

Vermont officials also expressed frustration after weeks of delay despite widespread flooding that damaged roads, bridges and culverts statewide.

FEMA’s Thresholds—and Politics—Face New Scrutiny

FEMA’s Public Assistance program funds reconstruction of public assets such as roads, bridges and utilities. When denied, local governments must absorb the costs or postpone work.

While FEMA has not published a 2025 year-to-date denial rate, its most recent open-data list shows 17 denials to date. ENR reviewed the agency’s “Declaration Denials” dataset but could not access the current 2025 approval data since FEMA had not yet made it publicly available. However, an analysis of year-to-date denials found nine in states led by Democratic governors and eight in Republican-led states—a roughly even partisan distribution.

The balance suggests the pattern may reflect FEMA’s evolving eligibility criteria rather than overt political preference, though the clustered timing of these latest decisions has drawn public scrutiny. 

The president has also been overt in public comments that have led to the partisan conclusion from the outset of his second term.

In January, Trump signed an executive order establishing a FEMA “review council” to assess the agency’s structure and spending priorities. The order stated that “there were serious concerns of political bias at FEMA and that agency funds had been used for programs related to incoming migrants.” 

The White House said the move was intended to “restore accountability and ensure FEMA resources are directed to natural-disaster response,” according to reporting from Reuters. However, critics viewed it as an attempt to centralize control over disaster aid decisions.

A Government Accountability Office review found that about 18% of major-disaster requests between fiscal 2020 and 2023 were denied, reflecting tighter scrutiny of what qualifies as “severity and magnitude.” Historically, GAO reported that presidents approved roughly 86% of requests from 2004 to 2011, and independent analyses found approvals exceeding 85% between 1991 and 2011.

Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).

Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and dump trucks columbus oh community issues. He has worked at Adweek, managed a dump trucks columbus oh community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif., and reported on finance, law and real estate for the San Diego Daily Transcript. He later served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and was managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure projects, new products and business trends across the construction sector.

email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.|office:(248) 786-1591