{"id":4434,"date":"2026-07-06T22:35:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T22:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4434"},"modified":"2026-07-06T22:35:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T22:35:02","slug":"trump-administration-denies-disaster-declaration-for-record-r-i-blizzard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4434","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration denies disaster declaration for record R.I. blizzard"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>PROVIDENCE \u2014 Rhode Island leaders are blasting the Trump administration for refusing to provide federal disaster aid for the record blizzard that buried the state under 37.9 inches of snow in February.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4432\">Michigan Democrats face a stark choice between a progressive and a moderate<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>President Trump denied Rhode Island\u2019s request for a major disaster declaration on July 2 while approving more than $846 million in disaster relief funds for nine Republican-leaning states, the four Democrats in the Rhode Island delegation said in a joint statement. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou chose to leave Rhode Islanders out in the cold,\u201d they wrote. \u201cIt is unacceptable to politicize the disaster declaration process when Rhode Islanders\u2019 health, safety, and businesses were severely impacted by this historic storm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Governor Daniel J. McKee, a Democrat, vowed to appeal the administration\u2019s decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe Trump administration\u2019s denial of Rhode Island\u2019s disaster declaration appears to be yet another case of the White House putting politics ahead of people,\u201d McKee said. \u201cDespite the significant documented damage and our state\u2019s compelling case for federal assistance, Rhode Island and our communities are being denied the support we deserve.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Rhode Map<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>US Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo in saying the blizzard slammed Rhode Island on Feb. 22-23 with the intensity of a category 2 hurricane, causing power outages for tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders, resulting in two deaths, and causing more than $19 million worth of damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>They said Trump is ignoring the state\u2019s request for aid as part of a pattern of \u201cextreme partisanship\u201d aimed at harming blue states.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For example, they noted the Trump administration refused to issue a major disaster declaration for New York, a state led by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. And they cited Urban Institute data that shows 84 percent of disaster requests from states that voted for Trump in 2024 have been approved by his administration, compared to just 41 percent from states that voted for Kamala Harris.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4430\">Platner \u2018taking the time to reflect\u2019 on future of Senate campaign after allegations of sexual assault emerge<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhen extreme weather strikes, helping people stay safe and helping communities recover shouldn\u2019t be a partisan issue,\u201d the delegation said in a joint statement. \u201cDisaster aid should be merit-based, not politicized. This is a petty move that hurts people across the political spectrum. We will fight it and work to reverse it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The delegation members wrote a letter to Trump, demanding he reverse the denial. They said Rhode Island worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on a preliminary damage assessment that was submitted on April 7 of this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe extensive review found over $19 million in validated damages, an amount that greatly exceeds the threshold for a major disaster declaration,\u201d they wrote. \u201cGiven the impact this storm had on the local economy, public services, and infrastructure, you should immediately approve any appeal submitted by the State of Rhode Island to reverse the denial of its request.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, snowstorms have historically been listed among the natural events that qualify for federal assistance, the delegation noted. And earlier this year, congressional appropriators from both parties affirmed in a report accompanying the 2026 Department of Homeland Security appropriations package that \u201csnowstorms shall be eligible for federal relief.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>McKee described the blizzard as \u201cone of the most severe weather events in Rhode Island history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt shattered snowfall records, caused power outages, and imposed significant costs on our cities and towns as they worked around the clock in partnership with my administration to keep Rhode Islanders safe,\u201d he said. \u201cTogether, we mounted a swift and effective response to an unprecedented storm. Now, we will appeal this decision and continue fighting for the federal support Rhode Island deserves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4429\">Medicaid funding is resuming for Planned Parenthood after being cut off for most of a year<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The state\u2019s Democratic congressional delegation criticizes President Trump for politicizing disaster aid, telling him, \u201cYou chose to leave Rhode Islanders out in the cold.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump administration denies disaster declaration for record R.I. blizzard - 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