The Trump administration has repeatedly denied disaster mitigation funding to states hit by extreme weather events — another step in President Donald Trump’s plan to downsize and phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and lawmakers aren’t sure why it keeps happening.
Since March, states including Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Mississippi suffered severe storms, winds or wildfires and requested assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program at FEMA, which provides funds to help protect against future natural disasters. Unlike the Biden administration, Trump is no longer automatically approving these grants and has denied seven requests this spring, according to Bloomberg, while six requests remain under review.
Oklahoma made one such funding request after March wildfires and winds ravaged the state, killing several people and damaging hundreds of homes, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. These fires burned Gov. Kevin Stitt’s farmhouse to the ground.