U.S. News

Trump Denies Colorado Disaster Aid — Again

By Mike Harper · April 15, 2026

Colorado asked for help twice. Twice, the answer was no.

President Trump upheld FEMA’s denial of Colorado’s major disaster declaration requests on Monday, rejecting appeals from Democratic Gov. Jared Polis for federal assistance covering wildfires that scorched 240 square miles in western Colorado and floods that hit mountain communities in southern Colorado last year. The decision came after a “thorough review,” according to a FEMA letter to Polis — though the letters provided no detailed explanation for the denials.

Polis called it “incredibly disappointing.” He’s also called it political.

The numbers behind the pattern are striking. An analysis of public FEMA data by Andrew Rumbach, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, found that nearly 84% of disaster aid requests from states that voted for Trump have been approved in his second term. For states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, the approval rate sits at roughly 42%. Colorado voted Democratic in 2024.

The White House denied that politics drives the decisions. “President Trump provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any administration has before him,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. The administration frames the approach as fiscal responsibility — ensuring federal funds supplement rather than substitute for state obligations.

Rumbach himself was careful not to draw firm conclusions. He noted that the sample size of roughly 60 requests is relatively small, and that some states may have submitted insufficient cases for federal assistance. “These are definitely questions worth asking,” he said, “but I haven’t reached a conclusion that there’s clear political bias going on here.”

That caveat notwithstanding, Colorado is not alone. Other Democratic-led states have raised similar complaints about denied declarations despite documented need. The pattern — whether intentional or structural — has become a consistent flashpoint between the administration and blue-state governors.

What makes the Colorado case particularly concrete is the double denial. Trump rejected Polis’s initial request late last year. He rejected the appeal Monday. The wildfires and floods that prompted those requests caused real damage to homes, infrastructure, and communities that are now being told to shoulder those costs without federal reimbursement. Whether Colorado pursues legal options or escalates politically is the unresolved question. Polis has not ruled anything out.