Four Democratic governors are appealing President Donald Trump’s recent denials of disaster aid — but they likely face long odds in convincing the president to reverse himself.
The governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island asked Trump to reconsider his July 2 decision to deny their states $227 million in federal funds to offset the costs from a February snowstorm.
As POLITICO recently reported, all four states met federal qualifications for receiving Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster aid following the snowstorm, which set snowfall records in each state. Each governor noted that fact in their appeals.
But Trump has reversed his initial denials of aid only twice in his second term, while rejecting 15 other appeals from governors and tribal leaders, a POLITICO analysis of FEMA records shows. Other presidents also have rejected the vast number of appeals.
