Federal disaster aid is arriving far more slowly and being denied far more often under the Trump administration, with approvals skewing sharply toward states that voted Republican in 2024, according to an independent analysis of FEMA data.
The review found that major disaster declarations have taken an average of nearly 10 weeks to be issued during the current administration, up from an average of three weeks or less over the previous two decades, Yahoo News reported. In 2025, the administration denied 26% of requests for major disaster declarations, up from an average of 15% over the previous two decades.
The pattern matters now because the delays are colliding with a run of extreme weather — and a looming election. Hurricane Isaias hit the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 9, 2026, capping a stretch that included the hottest U.S. summer on record, heat waves, drought, wildfires and flooding in several states. A "Super El Niño" is expected to make extreme events worse at least into spring 2027, and active hurricane seasons can push nationwide disaster costs well over $100 billion.
Are disaster aid approvals favoring Republican-leaning states?
The independent analysis found that about 85% of requests for federal assistance from states that voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election were eventually approved, while only about half of requests were approved in states that voted for his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.
A separate Associated Press report in July 2026 noted that no other president had such a sharp partisan divide in approving disaster declaration requests between Republican and Democratic governors since at least 1989, when a federal law set rules for disaster determinations.
The administration says it is simply conducting more thorough reviews when governors make aid requests.
Why FEMA disaster aid delays are growing
FEMA has faced significant cuts to funding and staff since the Trump administration took office in January 2025. The administration initially talked about abolishing the agency, arguing that states and communities could deal with disasters on their own.
It created a plan to cut FEMA's staffing by 50%, but in September 2026 a judge found that plan unlawful. Even so, FEMA lost over 17% of its trained staff members in 2025 alone, including hundreds of people who were on call to respond to disasters. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin continues to defend the administration's goal of a leaner workforce at the agency.
The administration also withheld billions of dollars meant to help states reduce their disaster risk and protect homes, hospitals and other structures from storm damage. Lawsuits forced the restoration of some of the funds, but many communities are still struggling on their own.
What a major disaster declaration unlocks for survivors
Major disaster declarations unlock immediate federal aid, including individual assistance such as temporary housing, loans and repair grants that survivors need quickly to recover. When declarations are delayed or denied, that help stalls — one reason people left waiting may search for answers after a denied FEMA claim.
Studies, including research by the professor of civic engagement and climate policy who wrote the Yahoo analysis, have found that people who have experienced a disaster often show higher levels of civic engagement. The author argues that voters' frustration with slow disaster aid may show up at the polls.
Whether that frustration moves the "movable middle" in the 2026 midterm elections is an open question. Also unresolved: whether further lawsuits will restore the remaining withheld mitigation funds, and how FEMA's staffing and response capacity will change now that a court has struck down the 50% cut plan.