President Donald Trump approved federal disaster aid Thursday for six states and tribal nations battered by storms and flooding this spring and summer, clearing the way for federal dollars to support recovery efforts in Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota and Wisconsin and for tribes in Montana and South Dakota.
The disaster declarations, announced by federal officials, will allow funding for debris removal, emergency protective measures and other recovery efforts. In all but the Wisconsin case, the approvals followed more than a month between the request from local officials and presidential sign-off, continuing a pattern of longer waits for disaster relief uncovered in an Associated Press analysis. For this latest round of approvals, the interval between request and declaration ranged from 15 days for Wisconsin flooding in August to 56 days for a tribal request related to Montana flooding in May.
Trump has now approved more than 30 major natural disaster declarations since taking office in January. Before the most recent batch of approvals, his declarations had averaged a 34-day wait from the time relief was requested. An earlier AP analysis of his first term showed an average approval time of 24 days, and broader historical review by the AP found that waits for presidential disaster declarations have lengthened over decades regardless of which party holds the White House.
The AP analysis found that in the 1990s and early 2000s, requests were typically granted in less than two weeks. That median approval time rose to about three weeks during the past decade under administrations of both major parties, and has continued to climb in recent years.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the administration is conducting "a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him" to ensure federal tax dollars are spent wisely. Local officials and emergency managers, however, say delays can leave residents waiting for federal assistance for daily living expenses, temporary lodging and home repairs and can complicate cleanup and rebuilding when communities are unsure whether federal reimbursement will be forthcoming.
The latest declarations generally approved public assistance for local governments and nonprofit organizations to help restore infrastructure and remove debris. The Wisconsin declaration specifically included assistance for individuals, although federal officials noted that public assistance for Wisconsin could still be approved at a later date.
Federal disaster declarations typically unlock multiple streams of federal support, including grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest disaster loans and technical assistance for infrastructure restoration. State and tribal leaders must submit requests to the Federal Emergency Management Agency documenting damages and costs before the president approves major disaster declarations.
Officials in the affected states and tribal governments have characterized the approvals as critical to accelerating recovery, while some members of Congress and local officials have pressed for faster decisions to reduce financial strain on households and local governments. The White House and FEMA have emphasized the need to verify damage estimates and eligibility before authorizing federal aid.
As communities assess damage and begin rebuilding, federal funding now authorized for the six approved areas will be coordinated with state and tribal recovery plans. Additional requests for public or individual assistance may be considered as damage assessments continue and local officials submit further documentation to federal agencies.