President Donald Trump announced over $846 million in disaster relief funds for Republican-leaning states, intertwining aid announcements with midterm election endorsements.
Trump praised candidates he endorsed in nine states receiving aid, mentioning their achievements and expressing his pleasure to approve their disaster declarations.
The disaster declarations come amidst severe weather events across the U.S., including wildfires in Utah, heatwaves in the Midwest and Northeast, and flooding in Kentucky.
Critics point to significant disparities in Trump’s approval of FEMA aid requests, with a significantly higher percentage of approvals for Republican-leaning states compared to Democratic-leaning ones.
The Urban Institute reports that 84% of disaster requests from Trump-voting states were approved, compared to 42% from those voting for Kamala Harris.
Trump’s selective aid approvals have drawn legal challenges from Democratic governors and attorneys general.
