Aid denied despite meeting thresholds
President Donald Trump rejected $227 million in disaster aid requests from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for recovery from a major February snowstorm. FEMA's own assessments found damage in all four states exceeded the threshold for federal aid — New Jersey had $84.4 million in documented damage against an $18.5 million threshold. Two days earlier, Trump approved disaster aid for six Republican-led states.
Pattern of politicization revealed
POLITICO's analysis shows Trump approved only 23 percent of disaster requests from states with Democratic governors and senators, compared to 89 percent from Republican-led states. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey both said they would appeal. 'It is unacceptable to politicize the disaster declaration process,' Rhode Island's congressional delegation wrote to Trump.
White House defends decisions
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson denied any politicization, saying Trump 'provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him.' FEMA said snowstorm damage must be 'genuinely extraordinary' to qualify. The denials come as Trump has spent much of his presidency trying to shift disaster recovery responsibility to states.