President Donald Trump quickly approved aid for 12 states hit by a winter storm Sunday, as federal disaster workers positioned themselves in areas from Texas to Virginia.
Four of the approved requests were from Democratic governors: Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Maryland’s Wes Moore, who assailed Trump last year for denying disaster aid to his state. Trump also approved disaster help for Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
State officials had worried that disaster aid for the storm could be denied or delayed, considering Trump’s efforts to weaken the Federal Emergency Management Agency through staff cuts, grant cancellations and delays. Trump has repeatedly denied disaster aid requests over the past year, including for wildfires and flooding in Colorado and two major storms in Illinois.
Trump approved emergency declarations for the the states affected by the winter storm. They provide aid for limited, essential activities such as clearing roads, restoring power and protecting residents, compared to disaster declarations, which typically pay a large portion of repair and rebuilding costs.
