WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and 17 of his Senate colleagues sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought demanding transparency and accountability after reports that the Trump Administration disproportionately rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states, failing to deliver timely aid to disaster survivors.
“Federal regulations require FEMA to provide recommendations based on specific, verifiable criteria,” wrote the senators. “To date, President Trump’s Administration has provided no further information regarding what this new approval process entails or what metrics or other considerations it relies on, causing uncertainty that leaves disaster survivors in the dark.”
“It is critical that Congress understand why disaster assistance requests have been denied and ensure the process is free from political influence,” added the senators.
In the letter, the senators cite recent reporting that President Trump’s second administration has rejected Public Assistance disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of FEMA. The same report found that Republican-led states have waited 39 days on average for a decision compared to the 80-day average for Democratic-led states. Hickenlooper has consistently called out the politicization of disaster aid towards Colorado since the pattern began when Trump took office.
“These delays have left disaster survivors in the dark waiting to learn whether the federal government will assist in their recovery,” wrote the senators.
The full letter is available HERE.
###