Trump Upholds FEMA Denials of Colorado Disaster Aid Requests

Overview

• FEMA told Gov. Jared Polis that the president rejected Colorado's appeals for major disaster declarations, which blocks public-assistance reimbursements and hazard‑mitigation grants.
• The denials cover the Lee and Elk fires in Rio Blanco County with roughly $27.5 million in damage and October floods in the southwest with about $13–14 million in infrastructure losses.
• Damage from the fires included two destroyed high‑voltage lines that power oil and gas operations in the Piceance Basin, which increases costs for a region that relies on that industry.
• Colorado officials say this is the state's first such denial in 35 years, and the governor and the state's U.S. senators called the decision callous and said it leaves rural towns footing the bill.
• The White House said the reviews were careful and not political, while an analysis cited by the Associated Press found higher approval rates for requests from Trump‑voting states than from Democratic‑leaning ones.