The Revolving Door Project - Trump has often delayed or denied disaster aid.

The Trump administration has refused to allocate federal disaster aid in a timely manner. Check out our interactive map for more details on the White House’s careless approach to major disaster declarations.

This is one part of our effort to track Trump’s disaster policy. It is based on our compilation and analysis of publicly available information. We have done our best to be comprehensive and accurate. Please contact stancil@therevolvingdoorproject.org if you have suggestions about how to improve this resource.

This tracker was originally published in July 2025 and has been regularly updated. The last update took place on July 14, 2026.

When extreme weather strikes, and a state, territory, or tribal nation requires federal resources to respond adequately, a governor or tribal chief executive will ask the president to declare an emergency. Once local jurisdictions have completed initial damage assessments, a state, territorial, or tribal government may ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a joint preliminary damage assessment (PDA) to see if damages meet FEMA’s threshold for a major disaster declaration. Citing information collected in the PDA, a governor or tribal chief executive may ask the president to declare a major disaster. Following a particularly catastrophic event, officials may request, and could receive, an expedited disaster declaration before a PDA is finalized.

FEMA’s current financial threshold for a major disaster declaration is a statewide per capita impact of $1.94 (i.e., that dollar amount multiplied by the state’s population), up from $1.89 in fiscal year 2025. If monetary damages do not exceed that multiple, the federal government can consider other factors before making a decision. However, even if damages do exceed the minimum amount per resident, that does not guarantee a declaration. FEMA submits a recommendation to the White House about whether to approve a request, but the president is free to disregard the agency’s advice.

If the president declares a major disaster, it unlocks sorely needed federal resources, including the deployment of FEMA emergency response personnel as well as funds to reimburse households (Individual Assistance), rebuild infrastructure (Public Assistance), and invest in preventive action (Hazard Mitigation).

As of July 14, 2026, President Donald Trump has issued 68 major disaster declarations, many of them belatedly. Trump has denied certain types of aid and/or excluded jurisdictions in all of his approvals, according to publicly available information. That includes a suspension of new Hazard Mitigation grants since late March 2025.

Trump has rejected at least 27 extreme weather-related requests. Currently, five weather-related requests, including one appeal, are pending.

These decisions are reflected in the following interactive map and spreadsheet. Keep scrolling to read key findings.