FORT COLLINS, COLORADO — President Donald Trump once again rejected a request from Colorado’s governor to help those affected by wildfires and floods, consistent with his approval of major disaster aid for Republican-leaning states at about twice his approval rate for aid requests from Democratic states.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis sought a major disaster declaration for wildfires that tore through 240 square miles (615 square kilometers) in the western part of the state and for flooding that inundated mountain communities in southern Colorado last year.
Polis requested public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which enables communities to receive compensation for cleaning up debris and rebuilding infrastructure, as well as hazard mitigation funding, which helps states rebuild with more resilience.
Trump first rejected Colorado’s requests late last year. On Monday, Trump upheld that decision on appeal after a “thorough review,” Karen S. said. Evans, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Polis in two letters.
The letters did not explain the denial in detail. In a statement, Polis called the matter “incredibly disappointing” after Colorado communities responded quickly to disasters, documented the damage and worked in good faith with federal officials.
“These disasters have caused real damage to homes, infrastructure and local economies, and Coloradans should not be left to bear these costs alone,” Polis said.
While FEMA assesses the damage and uses a specific formula to analyze the potential impact on states and local jurisdictions, disaster declarations are ultimately at the president’s discretion.
In December, when Trump first rejected Colorado, Polis accused the president of doing so Playing “political games” With disaster declarations.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson denied that the decisions were political. Jackson told The Associated Press in a statement Tuesday that the administration responds to each request “with great care and attention” to ensure federal revenues are used appropriately and effectively to supplement states’ commitment to disaster response, not replace it.
“President Trump is providing a more comprehensive review of disaster declaration requests than any administration before him,” Jackson said.
Other Democratic-led states have complained about this Denial of disaster declarations Despite the proven need.
Nearly 84% of disaster applications from states that voted for Trump in his second term have been approved, while about 42% of applications from states that voted for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris have been approved, according to a new report. analysis From public FEMA data by Andrew Rumbach, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Urban Research Institute.
Rumbach was not sure whether politics played a clear role in the decisions. There were about 60 requests from states, which is a small sample size, and it’s possible states didn’t make enough cases that they needed help, he said.
“These are certainly questions worth asking, but I have not come to the conclusion that there is clear political bias going on here,” Rumbach said. “That’s why it’s really important for FEMA, FEMA, and FEMA to have as much transparency as possible about how these decisions are made.”
The denial drew criticism from Democratic governors such as Wes Moore of Maryland and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, who called Trump’s February rejection of the state’s request for aid in recovery from the August 2025 floods a “politically motivated decision that punishes thousands of Illinois families at a critical moment of need.”
Meanwhile, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said, It has been undone Against other recent federal decisions against Colorado, incl Climate research laboratory solutionHe threatened to cut off transportation funds Withholding funds from needy families and Moving US Space Command to Alabama.
Some American communities have also witnessed it An unprecedented long wait for answers on their disaster requests during Trump’s second term, which critics say delay and undermine their response Particular pressure on cities and rural counties With smaller budgets.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen pledged last week to clear some of the backlog of requests in the lead-up to the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1. Major disaster declaration requests have been approved for at least seven states Last week after Mullen briefed him.
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Associated Press writer Aoun Anguera reported from San Diego.