The Trump administration has denied the state of Illinois’ appeal for a disaster declaration that would have unlocked federal assistance to thousands of residents affected by heavy rains and flooding last summer, a decision that Gov. JB Pritzker denounced as politically driven.
After a bout of severe storms through July and August, the state — alongside the city of Chicago and Cook County — had requested federal aid for survivors and public repairs. However, President Donald Trump in October denied Illinois’ application while approving other states’ requests for aid, a divide that primarily bowed to party lines.
The state appealed the denial on Nov. 21.
But on Saturday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which dispenses disaster aid, reaffirmed its initial decision, stating that supplemental federal assistance wasn’t warranted in this case, the state’s Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security announced in a news release Monday. The second denial specifically applies to federal aid requested for residents across Cook, Will, Kane, McHenry and Boone counties who were affected by storms that swept the region from Aug. 16-19.
Heavy summer rains displaced residents, left thousands without electricity, led to collapsed ceilings from water damage, flooded basements and roadways, overflowed rivers, broken boilers and other large appliances, and triggered ground stops at Midway and O’Hare International airports.
Pritzker in a statement lambasted the second denial as a “politically motivated decision that punishes thousands of Illinois families in a critical moment of need.”
“Playing politics with disaster relief funding is a new low,” he said, “even for the Trump Administration.”
In recent years, as climate change has fueled more intense events from flooding to wildfires, the federal government has taken on a larger financial responsibility for natural disaster recovery. But as far as who gets aid and who doesn’t, the Trump administration’s decisions have mostly fallen along party lines, The Associated Press reported last year.
After approving aid for Alaska in the fall, for instance, Trump touted the decision on social media, writing that it was his honor to deliver to a state he had “won BIG” in the past three elections. “I will never let you down,” he wrote.
Trump also approved disaster declarations for Nebraska, North Dakota and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota. Alongside Illinois, he denied requests from Wisconsin, Michigan and Vermont, as well as an appeal from Maryland after the state was denied a disaster declaration for flooding last spring.
“Ignoring the realities of widespread damage from the August 2025 severe storms,” Pritzker said, “speaks volumes about the federal government’s vindictive priorities and complete disregard for American livelihoods.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, also slammed the Trump administration this week after the state, which had likewise tried to appeal its initial denial, was refused assistance a second time. Evers, in a statement, called the decision “ridiculous.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in a statement said denial “undermines the very purpose of disaster assistance.”
“Our communities suffered real and lasting harm, yet the federal government continues to turn its back when help is needed most,” she said. “This is unacceptable and makes recovery harder for those who can least afford it.”
Chicago Tribune’s Adriana Perez and The Associated Press contributed.
tkenny@chicagotribune.com
