President Donald Trump announced on July 3, 2026, that he approved more than $846 million in disaster relief funds for Republican-leaning states. He made the announcement through a series of posts on his social media platform, combining the aid approvals with praise for candidates he endorsed in those states' upcoming elections.

In one post, Trump stated, "I am pleased to announce that the Great State of Louisiana has been approved to be given $8.6 Million Dollars in its Disaster Declaration Request." He also highlighted Louisiana's political leaders, including Governor Jeff Landry, Senator John Kennedy, soon-to-be Senator Julia Letlow, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Congressman Clay Higgins.

These approvals come amid recent severe weather events across the United States, such as a wildfire in Utah nearing 100,000 acres, extreme heat in the Midwest and Northeast, and a declared state of emergency due to flash flooding in Kentucky.

According to an analysis of public FEMA data by Andrew Rumbach, senior fellow at the Urban Institute, nearly 84% of disaster requests from states that voted for Trump in 2024 were approved, compared to about 42% from states that voted for Kamala Harris. The Urban Institute noted that President Trump has repeatedly approved a higher percentage of aid requests for Republican-leaning states than for Democratic-leaning ones during his second term.

When asked about the disproportionate approvals, a White House spokeswoman told ABC News, "President Trump provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him."

Federal regulations require FEMA to provide recommendations based on specific, verifiable criteria. However, to date, the Trump administration has not provided further details on the new approval process or the metrics it relies on, leading to uncertainty for disaster survivors.

ABC News has reported that a FEMA supervisor was fired during the 2024 damage response to Hurricane Milton in a Florida town for allegedly instructing team members not to inspect homes displaying signs supporting Trump. Additionally, about a month prior, Trump had made false claims during Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, alleging that disaster funds were being used on immigrants rather than Americans affected by disasters.

The Trump administration stated its commitment to working with state and local governments to invest in resilience before disasters occur, aiming to reduce the urgency of response and duration of recovery. The administration also denied politicization of disaster relief decisions, contrasting its approach with allegations against the Biden administration regarding aid refusals linked to political signs.

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