President Trump denied disaster aid requests from New Jersey and three other Democratic-led states last Friday—just two days after approving aid for several Republican-led states, raising fresh questions about whether politics are shaping federal emergency response decisions.
New Jersey was one of four Democratic-led states, along with New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, denied FEMA aid following a major February snowstorm. The four states had requested a combined $227 million in assistance, according to Politico. FEMA’s threshold for New Jersey to qualify for aid is around $18.5 million—the state’s $84.4 million of documented damage cleared that bar by a wide margin.
The decision has drawn scrutiny and accusations of politicization. Just two days before denying New Jersey’s request, President Trump approved disaster aid for six Republican-led states, along with several U.S. territories, tribes, and Wisconsin and Michigan—which, despite being led by Democrats, voted for Trump in the 2024 election. In multiple announcements following the approvals, Trump credited Republican officials by name and endorsed candidates without acknowledging the Democratic governors who had actually filed the requests.
The pattern isn’t isolated to this round of decisions. Politico’s prior reporting found Trump has approved just 23% of disaster aid requests during his term from states where the governor and both senators are Democrats, compared to 89% of requests from states led entirely by Republicans in those same positions. New Jersey has a Democratic governor, Mikie Sherrill, and two Democratic senators, Andy Kim and Cory Booker.
New Jersey Senator Andy Kim did not mince words. “We’ve all seen Donald Trump weaponize the presidency for political retribution. If there is a reason other than politics for him and his administration to withhold FEMA assistance, we need an explanation immediately,” he said in a statement to NJ Digest. “Just this weekend, New Jersey shore towns were underwater again from extreme flooding. We have zero tolerance for this administration playing around with New Jerseyans’ wallets and lives because of tired political grudges.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson denied any political motivation behind the decisions. “There is no politicization to the President’s decisions on disaster relief,” Jackson said, adding that Trump “provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him.” FEMA said it has “returned to a more rigorous review process,” adding that snowstorm damage must be “genuinely extraordinary” to qualify for aid.
New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island were denied under similar circumstances, with each state’s documented damage also exceeding FEMA’s respective thresholds by wide margins. Governors in New York and Massachusetts have said they plan to appeal their denials.
As of now, it’s unclear whether New Jersey intends to do the same.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
