New Analysis Reveals Trump Approves Disaster Relief at More Than Double the Rate for States He Won
WASHINGTON, DC — As David Richardson resigns from his position as FEMA Acting Administrator and Trump moves to install Karen Evans, dubbed “the terminator” for gutting programs and staff, as FEMA chief, Sabotaging Our Safety is releasing new analysis exposing the systematic politicization of disaster relief under the Trump administration.
The analysis by Sabotaging Our Safety reveals Trump has approved disaster declarations for 78% of disasters in states he won in 2024 compared to just 33% in states he lost (below), abandoning communities after their homes are destroyed and their livelihoods decimated due to the political leanings of a state. This comes as more than a dozen FEMA workers were reinstated after three months of wrongful suspension, revealing the chaos and political retaliation that has consumed the agency under Trump’s leadership.
The numbers don’t lie: Republican-led states see a 76% approval rate versus 56% for Democratic-led states. In October alone, Trump denied disaster declarations for three Democratic-led states – Illinois, Vermont, and Maryland – all hit by flooding and severe storms, while approving three Republican-led states during that same period.
The data comes as FEMA faces a leadership crisis following Richardson’s resignation and Trump’s plan to install Evans, whose reputation for eliminating programs and slashing staff signals an escalation of the administration’s assault on emergency response capabilities. Richardson’s tenure was marked by catastrophic failures, including being unreachable for 24 hours during the Texas flooding that claimed over 130 lives. Now Trump is replacing one unqualified political appointee with another whose primary qualification appears to be her willingness to dismantle the agency from within.
The reinstatement of more than a dozen FEMA workers after three months of wrongful suspension exposes the political retaliation and chaos that has paralyzed the agency when Americans need help most. These workers were suspended without cause while 2025 has already seen 14 large-scale weather disasters totaling over $100 billion in damages. Families in denied states are dealing with destroyed homes and decimated livelihoods while their governors plead for help that never comes.
