In brief
President Donald Trump has approved federal disaster aid for Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and tribes in South Dakota and Montana, following recent storms and floods. While the aid will provide necessary support for recovery, the approval process has faced significant delays, averaging over 34 days, according to an Associated Press analysis. This slow response has raised concerns among local officials regarding disaster recovery efforts.
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 showed that delays in approving federal disaster aid have grown over time, regardless of the party in power. On average, it took less than two weeks for requests for a presidential disaster declaration to be granted in the 1990s and early 2000s. That has risen to about three weeks during the past decade under presidents from both major parties. During Trump’s first term in office, it took him an average of 24 days to approve requests.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the AP that Trump is providing “a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him” to ensure that federal tax dollars are spent wisely.
However, delays in federal aid can hamper recovery for individuals who must wait for funds to cover daily living expenses, temporary lodging, and home repairs. They also hinder local officials who are uncertain whether they will receive federal reimbursement for cleaning up debris and rebuilding infrastructure.
Trump's recent declarations approved public assistance for local governments and nonprofits in all cases except Wisconsin, where assistance for individuals was approved. But this does not preclude further federal assistance for Wisconsin in the future.
