In brief
The Trump administration has approved disaster relief for Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and tribes in Montana and South Dakota, following severe storms and floods earlier this year. The approval comes after notable delays in response times for disaster relief requests, continuing a pattern that has been observed since Trump took office. On average, local officials have had to wait over a month for approval, impacting recovery efforts and the timely provision of necessary aid to affected individuals.
President Donald Trump has approved federal disaster aid for six states and tribes following storms and floods that occurred this spring and summer.
The disaster declarations, announced Thursday, will allow federal funding to flow to Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota and Wisconsin, along with tribes in Montana and South Dakota. In each instance, except for Wisconsin, it took Trump more than a month to sanction the aid requests from local officials, which aligns with a concerning trend of longer waits for disaster relief, as highlighted by recent Associated Press analyses.
To date, Trump has sanctioned over 30 major natural disaster declarations since assuming office in January. Prior to this latest series of approvals, his administration had averaged a 34-day wait for relief requests to be approved. The latest approvals saw wait times varying: from just 15 days for Wisconsin’s flood aid request in August to 56 days for a tribal request following Montana flooding in May.
The AP’s analyses indicate that delays in approving federal disaster aid have progressively increased over the years, irrespective of the political affiliation in power. Requests for disaster declarations were typically granted in less than two weeks in the 1990s and early 2000s; that average lengthened to approximately three weeks over the last decade under both Democratic and Republican presidents. During Trump’s initial term, the average approval time has reached 24 days.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson commented that Trump conducts “a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any administration has before him” to ensure fiscal responsibility regarding federal tax dollars. However, these delays can have severe repercussions for individuals awaiting federal aid for essential living expenses, temporary housing, and home repairs. They can also complicate recovery efforts as local officials remain uncertain about receiving federal reimbursement for cleanup and rebuilding efforts.
Trump’s latest approvals include public assistance for local governments and nonprofits in all cases, except for Wisconsin, where assistance for individuals has also been approved. Nevertheless, the federal government may still grant public assistance for Wisconsin at a later date.
