FACT SHEET: As Nor’easter Leaves the East Coast, Trump’s Politicization of Disaster Relief Leaves Americans Dangerously Vulnerable
WASHINGTON, DC – The fact sheet below and downloadable here, compiled by Sabotaging Our Safety, warns that Trump’s gutting of FEMA and weaponization of disaster relief harms communities from coast-to-coast.
Trump’s Systematic Destruction of America’s Emergency Response
Trump proposed eliminating FEMA entirely and has already slashed 20% of FEMA’s staff while freezing critical emergency funds.
The administration cancelled FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program and removed Flood Mitigation Assistance funding for 2025, eliminating $4.6 billion for protection.
New bureaucratic requirements are causing deadly delays. Secretary Kristi Noem’s approval is now required for contracts over $100,000, which delayed Urban Search and Rescue deployment for more than 72 hours during the Texas floods.
While communities nationwide face dangerous delays in FEMA assistance, Secretary Kristi Noem fast-tracked $11 million to rebuild a Naples pier within two weeks after her campaign donor requested help, demonstrating how disaster relief has been corrupted into a system where political connections determine who gets aid.
Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson was unreachable for 24 hours during the first critical day of the deadly Hill Country flooding that killed over 130 people, according to Washington Post reporting.
Trump Plays Politics With People’s Lives
Disaster relief is being exploited as a partisan tool instead of emergency aid for Americans in crisis.
A federal judge blocked Trump’s illegal attempt to condition FEMA disaster relief on states’ cooperation with immigration enforcement, rejecting the administration’s effort to corruptly use emergency aid for political purposes.
A June 2025 NPR analysis reveals Trump’s partisan pattern: He has denied 6 of 10 major disaster requests from Democratic governors while approving 14 of 15 requests from Republican governors since February.
The contrast is stark. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott praised Trump’s “swift and very robust action” on Texas flood relief, while Trump denied Maryland’s $15.8 million request following devastating May floods.
Trump’s Government Shutdown Leaves Families Without Flood Insurance During Hurricane Season
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) remains expired as Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress prioritize health care cuts over disaster coverage, stripping away the primary flood insurance safety net for millions of Americans.
Thousands of flood insurance policies are expiring each day without the ability to renew, while new homeowners are completely shut out from obtaining coverage during peak storm season.
The shutdown is creating a mounting real estate crisis. During the last NFIP lapse in 2010, an estimated 1,400 home sale closings were canceled or delayed each day.
While families face canceled home sales and expiring coverage, Trump continues dismantling disaster preparedness - the NFIP expiration is just the latest in his systematic destruction of America's flood protection infrastructure.
Silencing Those Who Warn of Danger
Nearly 200 FEMA employees signed a letter warning that the Trump administration’s gutting of disaster response is leaving the country vulnerable to a catastrophe similar to Katrina.
The Trump administration retaliated by placing more than a dozen FEMA employees on leave and opening investigations targeting the whistleblowers after they signed the open letter of dissent about the agency’s leadership, wielding government power to target and intimidate public servants who work to keep Americans safe.
States Cannot Handle Disasters Alone
A former FEMA official warns that “states do not have the capacity to handle these extraordinary events” without federal coordination and resources.
Twenty states are suing the administration over disaster preparedness cuts they call “devastating” to communities nationwide.
The Bottom Line
Trump is politicizing disaster relief to reward Republican allies while punishing Democratic states. He’s systematically destroying America’s emergency response capabilities while handing out massive tax cuts to billionaires.
Americans are dying in floods and fires while Trump plays politics with their lives. Americans deserve a president who protects everyone, not just his political friends.
Floridians are facing hurricane season with less accurate forecasts, reduced FEMA assistance, and a governor who vetoes storm preparedness projects. Florida deserves federal hurricane protection and a governor who fights for it and a governor who prioritizes safety over politics.
