President Donald Trump announced that four states, which experienced disasters over the last six months, would receive funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency – despite previously threatening to eliminate the federal agency.
Taking to Truth Social Tuesday, the president announced he would unlock millions in federal funding for Indiana, which experienced deadly tornadoes in March; Michigan, which experienced ice storms in March; Kentucky, which experienced flooding and tornadoes in April and May; and West Virginia, which experienced flooding and tornadoes in June.
The announcement arrives after the president has signaled his desire to phase out FEMA and the administration has been scrutinized for its response to the devastating floods in Texas that killed more than 130 people.
Trump has reportedly indicated he wants to return disaster response to the states by removing FEMA as the lead in response. Instead, the president hopes to make local and state officials the primary leaders while using FEMA as financial support.
In January, Trump claimed FEMA had not been productive for years and pushed responsibility onto the states for handling disaster response.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson previously said in a statement that “federal assistance was always intended to supplement state actions, not replace those actions.”
“FEMA’s outsized role created a bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized state investment in their own resilience,” Jackson said.
However, since then, the president has softened his stance, reportedly backing away from language that indicated he was going to shut down the decades-old agency.
While the funding is slightly delayed, state leaders expressed gratitude for it.
“I’m glad to have received word from President Trump committing federal funds to help Northern Michigan communities impacted by the historic ice storm damage earlier this year,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on X. “We have more details to gather, but I’m grateful for this response to my requests of the White House.”
Northern Michigan experienced deadly ice storms in March that left at least six people dead. Homes and infrastructure also experienced damage due to the heavy ice.
Trump, who said it was his honor to approve federal funds for the state, and would give $50 million to assist in recovery.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun thanked Trump for his approval of $15.1 million in funding, which will go toward assisting recovery after a string of tornadoes hit the state in March. In announcing the state’s funding, Trump also reminded people that he won “BIG” in the state in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote on X that he was “grateful” to the president and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for providing a total of $56 million in disaster response. At least seven people died in April after the state experienced devastating flooding. At least 31 people died in May after deadly tornadoes swept across the state as well.
“This support is essential to helping these communities rebuild, and I am grateful to the president and @SecNoem. I also told @POTUS that the @FEMA team members on the ground are doing great work supporting Kentuckians. We will provide more details soon,” Beshear wrote.
Patrick Morrisey, the governor of West Virginia, praised Trump and the administration for “providing us with another tool to help these communities make a full recovery.”
Trump said he would provide $11.7 million in federal funding to support recovery after heavy rains brought flooding in June. At least nine people died as a result of the floods.
