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President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration has approved federal disaster assistance for nine states, authorizing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid through a series of posts on Truth Social.
The largest award went to Florida, which received $415.9 million in disaster assistance. The president said much of the funding would support recovery efforts in the Florida Panhandle.
“I am pleased to announce that the Great State of Florida has been approved to be given $415.9 Million Dollars in its Disaster Declaration Request,” President Trump wrote.
Georgia received the second-largest allocation, with $318.3 million approved for recovery efforts related to Hurricane Helene.
President Trump also announced $4.5 million for Idaho to address severe storms, high winds, flooding and landslides; $5.5 million for Kansas following severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding in April; $8.6 million for Louisiana through its disaster declaration request; $32.1 million for Michigan for storms, tornadoes and flooding; $11 million for Mississippi for severe storms, high winds, tornadoes and flooding; $27.6 million for Missouri for severe storms, tornadoes and flooding; and $22.6 million for Wisconsin for severe storms, tornadoes and flooding.
In several of his announcements, the president also praised Republican elected officials from the affected states, including governors and members of Congress. He reiterated his endorsements of Gov. Brad Little in Idaho’s gubernatorial race and Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial campaign.
“When severe weather hit Wisconsin, I called the White House to help secure the federal support our state needs. Thank you to President Trump and his administration for their partnership. We’ll keep working to ensure every Wisconsin community has the resources needed to recover,” Tiffany posted to X.
The disaster declarations come as the administration continues to face scrutiny over its approach to federal disaster assistance. President Trump has argued that states should assume a larger role in responding to and recovering from natural disasters, while the federal government, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, should primarily focus on the nation’s most catastrophic events.
Administration officials have also defended taking additional time to evaluate some disaster requests and denying others, arguing that federal assistance is intended to supplement rather than replace state and local recovery efforts.