In brief
President Donald Trump has granted federal disaster aid to Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and tribal areas in Montana and South Dakota after a series of storms and floods. While the aid was approved, delays in the approval process have increased, leaving residents waiting for vital assistance. The average wait time for disaster relief requests has grown over recent years, highlighting the challenges faced by those in affected areas seeking federal support.
President Donald Trump has approved federal disaster aid for six states and tribes following storms and floods that occurred this spring and summer.
The disaster declarations, announced Thursday, will allow federal funding to flow to Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as to tribes in Montana and South Dakota. In each instance, except for Wisconsin, Trump took more than a month to approve the aid requests from local officials, marking a continuation of longer wait periods for disaster relief as highlighted by a recent analysis from the Associated Press.
To date, Trump has approved over 30 major natural disaster declarations since taking office in January. The average approval time for his disaster declarations has been notably prolonged, averaging 34 days from the time funding is requested before the recent approvals. For these declarations, wait times ranged from just 15 days for flooding in Wisconsin to 56 days for a tribal request concerning floods in Montana that happened in May.
The AP’s analysis revealed that delays in approving federal disaster aid have become more pronounced over time, regardless of the political party in power. Historically, the wait time for disaster declarations was less than two weeks in the 1990s and early 2000s, expanding to about three weeks over the last decade across administrations. During Trump's first term, the average wait time reached 24 days.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson informed the AP that Trump is conducting “a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any administration has before him” to ensure careful and effective spending of federal tax dollars.
Nonetheless, these delays leave individuals grappling with the wait for federal aid to cover daily living expenses, temporary lodging, and necessary home repairs. Prolonged wait times for disaster declarations can significantly hinder recovery efforts by local officials who remain uncertain about receiving federal reimbursement for cleanup and infrastructure rebuilding initiatives.
The latest declarations granted public assistance for local governments and nonprofits in all areas except Wisconsin, where aid for individuals has been approved, though it does not prevent the federal government from possibly providing public assistance for Wisconsin in the future.
