Late last week, the Trump administration officially denied the state of Washington’s request for disaster aid to assist with recovery efforts related to last year’s “bomb cyclone” that killed at least two people and damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.
The administration sent a letter Friday responding to former Gov. Jay Inslee, who filed the request for $34 million to the Federal Emergency Management Agency before his term ended and he was replaced by current Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson. The letter says:
This is in response to your January 14, 2025, request for a major disaster declaration for the State of Washington as a result of severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides during the period of November 17 to November 23, 2024. You specifically requested a declaration for Public Assistance for six counties and Hazard Mitigation statewide. Based on our review of all the information available, it has been determined that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act is not warranted. Therefore, I must inform you that your request for a major disaster declaration is denied.
The letter doesn’t give a specific reason to justify why the administration thinks the funds aren’t warranted. The Fox affiliate in Seattle reports that the cyclone ravaged local infrastructure like highways, utilities and public electrical power systems and that thousands of damage reports have been filed.
Ferguson said he plans to appeal the decision:
There are very clear criteria to qualify for these emergency relief funds. Washington’s application met all of them. This is another troubling example of the federal government withholding funding. Washington communities have been waiting for months for the resources they need to fully recover from last winter’s devastating storms, and this decision will cause further delay. We will appeal.
Denying federal disaster aid to areas led by Democrats has become a trend for President Donald Trump — one that dates to 2018, when his first administration withheld aid from Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.








