A senior House Democrat is calling for an “immediate investigation” into President Donald Trump’s decisions last month to deny millions of dollars in disaster aid for four Democratic-led states.
Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey urged Republican committee leaders who oversee funding programs related to natural catastrophes to launch the inquiry following a report by POLITICO that revealed how Trump rejected the requests for disaster aid after his administration had determined the states met federal criteria for receiving it. Trump overrode his own federal agencies by denying $227 million in aid to New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island following a record-breaking blizzard in February.
Pallone in a two-page letter noted that Trump’s denials on July 2 came after “federal officials determined [the states] had met government thresholds for receiving aid.”
“Denying disaster assistance to American citizens just because they live in states that elected Democratic governors is a betrayal of the oath President Trump swore to uphold,” Pallone wrote.
