Arkansas is appealing the Trump administration’s decision to deny Federal Emergency Management Agency funding after the state was slammed by some of the worst tornadoes it has seen since 1997 last month.
The state’s congressional delegation sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reconsider, while Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) has filed an appeal.
“As Governor Sanders noted in her request, these storms caused catastrophic damage across the state, resulting in disastrous amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the deaths of three Arkansans, and injuries to many more,” Arkansas’s two senators and four House members, all Republicans, wrote in an April 21 letter to Trump. “Given the cumulative impact and sheer magnitude of destruction from these severe weather events, federal assistance is vital to ensure that state and local communities have the capabilities needed to rebuild.”
Sanders appealed FEMA’s decision on April 18. She formerly worked for Trump in his first administration as White House press secretary.
“Arkansas communities are still recovering from this spring’s tornadoes, as the sheer magnitude of this event resulted in overwhelming amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the tragic loss of three lives, and injuries to many others,” Sanders said in a statement. “To relieve the burden on these counties, cities, and towns, I am appealing FEMA’s decision to deny Arkansas’ Major Disaster Declaration request.”
The congressional delegation said the storms, which occurred in mid-March, “caused catastrophic damage across the state.” It also called for Sanders’s request for a 30-day extension to submit another disaster declaration for storms that occurred on April 2 to be granted. It added that a preliminary assessment showed the damage had an estimated cost of $8.8 million, and the flooding from the April 2 storms killed another three Arkansans.
A FEMA spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that the agency rejects similar requests when it believes “supplemental federal aid is not justified” after “a thorough assessment shows the event’s damage does not exceed the state, local governments, and voluntary organizations’ capacity to respond.”
“Unlike the last administration, [the Department of Homeland Security] and FEMA remain focused on equitable, non-political disaster response,” the spokesperson added. “FEMA will continue to support Americans impacted by disasters no matter the state or jurisdiction they live in, allowing local governments to lead the response managed by their states.”
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FEMA has long been a target of cuts from the Trump administration. A recent report states that the agency is expecting 20% of its full-time permanent staff to take a voluntary buyout. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has promised to “eliminate” the agency altogether.
The Washington Examiner has contacted the White House for comment.
