Denied: Sarah Sanders begs Trump to reconsider federal disaster aid

23 April

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking with attendees at the Republican Jewish Coalition's 2023 Annual Leadership Summit at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Image: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons)

Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders — who was once President Donald Trump's White House press secretary — is now urging him to reverse his administration's denial of her disaster relief request.

Rolling Stone reported Wednesday that Sanders' initial request for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following severe storms in her state was denied. She's since written a separate letter begging her former boss to intervene and reverse the denial.

“The severe storms and tornadoes that occurred on March 14 and 15, 2025, produced catastrophic impacts across the state. The sheer magnitude of this event resulted in overwhelming amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the tragic loss of three lives and injuries to many others. Less than three weeks later, Arkansas was once again devastated by a second wave of severe storms, tornadoes, and a generational flooding event,” Sanders wrote.

“Without the support of a Major Disaster Declaration, Arkansas will face significant challenges in assuming full responsibility and achieving an effective recovery from this event," she continued. "I have determined that the severity and magnitude of these storms exceed the capabilities of the State and affected local governments to respond adequately. As such, supplemental Federal assistance is crucial.”

Obtaining federal disaster relief may be difficult for even ruby-red states like Arkansas during Trump's second term. He has previously floated getting rid of FEMA entirely, following the destructive wildfires in Southern California earlier this year. And a recent report found that his administration's cuts to FEMA have since put hurricane-prone red states like Florida and Texas in a perilous position as hurricane season begins in June.

FEMA found itself embroiled in politics even before Trump's victory last November. After Hurricane Helene devastated much of the South in October, agency personnel found themselves under attack following threats from local residents in North Carolina. Misinformation about FEMA first responders proliferated after the storm, and resulted in aid being temporarily paused while the agency made efforts to keep its employees safe.

The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 manifesto called for FEMA to be gutted and eventually privatized, in addition to privatizing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which was authorized by Congress in the 1960s.

Click here to read Rolling Stone's full report (subscription required).

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