Donald J. Trump turned down $227 million in disaster relief for New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, all of which had requested federal help recovering from February’s major snowstorm, Politico reports.
The denial came just two days after he’d signed off on FEMA aid for six Republican-led states — approvals he accompanied with praise for GOP officials and candidates in those states. The contrast is fueling fresh scrutiny of whether politics is affecting his administration’s disaster-response decisions.
Democrats immediately questioned Trump’s denials, arguing that they follow a pattern disclosed by the outlet in March of Trump mostly rejecting disaster aid for Democratic-led states whereas approving it for states that officials lead in his party.
Rhode Island’s four-member Democratic congressional delegation sent Trump a letter Monday accusing him of leaving the state’s residents in the lurch on the same day he signed off on disaster declarations for several Republican-led states, calling it unacceptable to turn the disaster declaration process into a political tool.
New Jersey Democrat Sen. Andy Kim demanded an explanation.
“If there is a reason other than politics for him and his administration to withhold FEMA assistance, we need an explanation immediately,” he said in a statement.