From KUNC
This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
RBC | FEMA has denied Colorado’s appeal for a major disaster declaration for two natural disasters that occurred last year. It means federal dollars will not be available to help in recovery efforts.
This is the first time in 35 years the state was denied federal assistance as part of a major disaster declaration, according to the Polis administration.
“Colorado communities have done everything right — responding quickly, documenting the damage, and working in good faith with federal partners — only for the Trump administration to deny funding to help Colorado communities recover,” Gov. Polis said in a statement, calling the decision disappointing. “These disasters caused real damage to homes, infrastructure, and local economies, and Coloradans should not be left to shoulder these costs alone.”
The state said it would continue to work with the communities impacted to find a path forward.
Last August, the Lee and Elk fires and mudslides in Rio Blanco county caused initial damage of almost $27.5 million, a figure that is expected to grow over time.
Meanwhile, historic flooding in western Colorado in October caused almost $14 million in damage to roads and other infrastructure.
Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenooper called the refusal “callous” and said it hurts rural Coloradoans and leaves them “footing the bill.”
“Disasters are disasters, regardless of state lines or political parties,” the two said in a joint statement. “The President is solely responsible for this abdication of responsibility; the consequences of which will continue to be severe and long-lasting.”
The White House defended the decision.
“President Trump provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him; gone are the days of rubber stamping FEMA recommendations,” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman said in a statement. She added each request is considered “with great care and consideration.”
According to analysis from Politico, the Trump administration has approved only 23 percent of blue state requests for disaster aid, while red states have had 98 percent of requests approved.
As Colorado’s request was denied, FEMA approved requests from Mississippi, South Dakota, South Carolina, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, Washington & Oregon. Meanwhile, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said his state also had received a disaster declaration for March flooding.
The announcement also comes as DHS, which oversees FEMA, remains shut down.
Last week during a trip to North Carolina, new Homeland Security Sec. Markwayne Mullin said he planned to speed up work on declaration requests.
When Colorado’s initial request was denied last December, the White House and FEMA said it had nothing to do with politics.
Jackson reiterated that point.
“There is no politicization to the President’s decisions on disaster relief, unlike under the Biden Administration where FEMA officials refused aid to disaster survivors who displayed political signs and flags they disagreed with” she wrote, referring to an incident in Florida. “The Trump administration remains committed to empowering and working with state and local governments to invest in their own resilience before disaster strikes, making response less urgent and recovery less prolonged.”
This story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at https://colabnews.co
