In brief
Following significant storms and floods over the spring and summer months, President Trump has authorized federal disaster aid for six states and tribes. The declarations, announced on Thursday, come after local officials' requests experienced extended delays. While Wisconsin received faster approval, the average wait time for disaster declarations has increased since the 1990s, raising concerns about timely assistance for those affected.
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, and for tribes in Montana and South Dakota. In each case except Wisconsin, it took Trump more than a month to approve the aid requests from local officials, continuing a trend of longer waits for disaster relief noted by a recent Associated Press analysis.
Trump has now approved more than 30 major natural disaster declarations since taking office in January. Before the latest batch, his approvals had averaged a 34-day wait from the time the relief was requested. For his most recent declarations, that wait ranged from just 15 days following an aid request for Wisconsin flooding in August to 56 days following a tribal request for Montana flooding that occurred in May.
The AP’s analysis indicated that delays in approving federal disaster aid have grown over time, irrespective of the party in power. The average time to approve such requests dropped to less than two weeks in the 1990s and early 2000s, but increased to about three weeks over the past decade under both major parties. During Trump’s first term, the average wait time for his approvals was 24 days.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson emphasized that Trump is committed to a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests to ensure that federal tax dollars are wisely spent.
However, the delays in disaster declarations mean individuals are left waiting for federal aid to cover essential costs such as temporary lodging, home repairs, and daily living expenses. Furthermore, uncertainty surrounding federal reimbursement can hinder recovery efforts by local officials.
Trump's latest declarations provide public assistance for local governments and nonprofits in all cases except Wisconsin, where assistance for individuals was also approved, leaving open the possibility for future federal assistance for public needs in Wisconsin.