Tell Congress: Disaster Aid Is Not a Political Weapon

When floods wash out roads, fires destroy homes, storms knock out power, and heat waves strain emergency systems, families should not have to wonder whether the president likes their governor before help arrives.

But that is the danger now facing communities across the country.

According to E&E News by POLITICO, Donald Trump recently rejected $227 million in disaster aid for New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island — just two days after approving FEMA aid for six Republican-led states while praising GOP politicians. 

A separate disaster-policy tracker says the administration has rejected at least 27 extreme-weather-related requests and suspended new hazard mitigation grants since March 2025 — with most rejected state requests coming from Democratic-led states, even as weather and climate disasters grow more dangerous and costly.

That is petty, reckless, and cruel. 

Federal disaster aid exists because no city, county, Tribal nation, or state can face the full cost of major disasters alone. When hurricanes, wildfires, floods, severe storms, and extreme heat hit, federal assistance can help families rebuild, repair public infrastructure, and reduce future risk before the next disaster strikes.

And the need is only growing. NOAA found that the United States experienced 27 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2024 alone, causing at least 568 deaths and roughly $182.7 billion in damage. The most recent five-year average is now 23 billion-dollar disasters per year, far above the long-term average.

Climate-driven and climate-worsened disasters do not check voter registration before destroying homes, farms, roads, schools, and power grids. Disaster aid should not depend on whether a state voted for the president.

Congress must stop Trump’s outrageous abuse of federal disaster aid. These emergency funds are not his personal reward system — they belong to the communities that need help rebuilding after fires, floods, storms, heat, and other disasters.

Lawmakers should investigate the Trump administration’s handling of disaster declarations, demand transparency around denials and delays, restore full access to hazard mitigation funding, and pass reforms requiring federal disaster aid decisions to be based on damage, need, and climate risk — not partisan politics.

Tell Congress to stop the politicization of disaster aid and guarantee fast, fair, transparent relief for every community hit by floods, fires, storms, heat, and other disasters.

The petition to Congress reads: Federal disaster aid must be awarded based on need, damage, and climate risk — not partisan politics. We urge you to investigate the Trump administration’s disaster aid denials and delays, restore full hazard mitigation funding, and pass reforms to ensure every community can access the relief it needs after floods, fires, storms, heat, and other disasters.
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Source: 

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/08/donald-trump-denies-disaster-aid-democratic-states-00989418