A string of disaster declarations and denials last week highlighted Donald Trump’s use of Federal Emergency Management Agency funding as a political tool. 

Trump took to Truth Social on October 22 to declare that  he had approved disaster aid for Alaska, Missouri, and North Dakota, reminding his followers that the states had voted for him in the last three presidential elections. He also denied aid to Illinois, Vermont, and Maryland, three states that did not back him in the previous three elections. Maryland governor Wes Moore and the state’s senators and representatives in Congress expressed frustration at the decision, arguing the administration has “politicized disaster relief.” 

Comparing recent disaster declarations and denials since Trump took office, it is clear that some states have received more attention than others. Texas and Oklahoma, in particular, have benefited from Trump’s selective application of disaster aid. Since January, Oklahoma has had 16 declared disasters, with only one denial, which the state decided not to appeal because it already had federal funding available. Texas has had eight disasters with no denials. To be clear, these are disasters worthy of federal assistance. Both Texas and Oklahoma have experienced multiple wildfires and severe storms since Trump took office. Disaster declarations for both Oklahoma and Texas have doubled since last year, and neither state received a denial for a disaster declaration in 2024 under Biden.

The problem is that the administration has been cutting back federal aid for other states. For example, Illinois, which was denied last week, has been denied twice for severe storms and flooding that hit in July and August. Other “blue” states, such as California and Washington, have received similar denials.

This uneven distribution of FEMA funding highlights the politicization of disaster relief under Trump, which raises questions about whether all states are receiving fair assistance. The main issue is that the Stafford Act, which requires assistance to be given in an “equitable and impartial manner,” grants the president unilateral discretion to approve or deny requests for major disaster declarations. Moreover, the act lacks any mechanisms to guide the president’s actions. Congress needs to amend the act to include specific, transparent, and non-political criteria for issuing declarations and distributing aid. Lawmakers could also remove the president’s authority to make decisions on disaster declarations entirely. This could be achieved by delegating authority to a non-political body or by returning FEMA to a cabinet-level agency, as was the case during the Clinton presidency. However, given the Trump administration’s tendency to replace career civil servants with political yes-men, that might not fully safeguard the process.

The point is that Congress has to do something. Until the government shutdown ends, the selective application of aid will continue.