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source_url: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/09/science/blizzard-disaster-declaration-aid-trump/
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President Trump denied Massachusetts’ request for emergency aid after a February blizzard brought [record snowfall and hurricane-force winds to the state](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/28/science/blizzard-snowfall-climate-change/).
A major disaster declaration from the president could have unlocked millions of dollars in aid for communities walloped by the storm, which [busted snow removal budgets](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/30/science/winter-cleanup-snow-budget-climate-change/) from Boston to Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard.
The Healey administration said it plans to appeal the decision. Officials previously said that local governments and state agencies [reported](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/09/metro/healey-federal-disaster-aid-blizzard/) roughly $145 million in storm expenses, a significant fraction of which could be eligible for federal reimbursement.
Governor Maura Healey said in a statement that she was “deeply disappointed” by the president’s decision and would keep fighting to secure federal dollars for Massachusetts.
“Our first responders, public works crews, and local communities worked around the clock to keep people safe and begin recovery,” she said. “They did their job, and now President Trump needs to do his.”
Climate advocates say the denial — which came on the same day that Trump rejected [three other Democrat-led states’ requests for winter storm relief](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/06/metro/federal-disaster-aid-denied-for-rhode-island-blizzard/) — reflects the administration’s politicization of disaster aid.
“Communities in Massachusetts and everywhere deserve a federal government that makes decisions for all people, and not just those that they perceive as having voted for them,” said Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president for law and policy at the Conservation Law Foundation.
The president can declare a major disaster when a natural catastrophe is shown to have exceeded a state’s capabilities and resources. An [analysis](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/23/trump-denies-disaster-aid-for-democratic-led-states-00831199) conducted by POLITICO in March found that it is three times harder for blue states than red states to get disaster funding under Trump.
According to the analysis, the president has approved just 23 percent of disaster funding requests from states with a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators, compared with 89 percent of requests from states represented by Republicans — an unprecedented discrepancy.
The analysis also found that Trump takes an average of 80 days to respond to disaster requests from Democrat-led states, compared to 39 for Republicans.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, strongly disputed that the Trump administration was politicizing decisions on disaster relief. She did not comment on why Trump denied Massachusetts’ request.
“President Trump provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him,” she said in a statement. She said the president was ensuring tax dollars were used by states “to supplement — not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters."
Former Washington governor Jay Inslee described the president’s approach to disaster aid as “outrageous, immoral, and illegal.” During Trump’s first term, the president [reportedly](https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-ignored-disaster-aid-request-from-political-rival/) ignored Inslee’s request for wildfire relief because of a personal dispute.
“He will consciously, willfully, and joyfully deny people aid who are at the most difficult moments of their lives,” said Inslee, who co-chairs the advocacy group Climate Power. “It is so infuriating to see an American president use disaster aid as a cudgel.”
The Healey administration [announced](https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/server/api/core/bitstreams/83315dcb-3055-49a9-8542-ae081ff07816/content) in early April that it had requested a major disaster declaration for the February blizzard. It sought to reimburse state agencies and local governments in the southeastern part of the state for snow removal and other storm-related costs. The blizzard downed hundreds of power lines and trees, and nearly 300,000 people lost power at the peak of the storm.
Last week, Trump rejected disaster declaration requests from four Democrat-led states who had sought aid for the February storm: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey. The president’s decision came just days after he approved aid for six Republican-led states.
“Trump is either politicizing disaster declarations or he is attacking states where it snows — neither is good," wrote Senator Ed Markey in a [social media post](https://x.com/SenMarkey/status/2075221253791608845). “The February blizzard was costly for our communities, and Trump must approve the Commonwealth’s need for assistance.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren said a statement that the president’s decision was “cruel and makes clear he doesn’t see himself as a president for all Americans.”
“Communities in Massachusetts were hit by one of the worst storms we’ve seen in decades, and instead of sending a lifeline, the President is leaving everyday Americans out to dry,” she added.
Rhode Island officials also [slammed](https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/ri-lawmakers-blast-trump-for-politicizing-disaster-aid-denying-ris-request-for-blizzard-recovery-assistance/) the Trump administration for denying the state’s request. The winter storm hit the state with the intensity of a Category 2 hurricane. Providence had to [cap spending](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/20/metro/ri-providence-blizzard-cost-38-million/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1774631152936621&usg=AOvVaw3MOvsoQ35he8CRiDypmtgH&p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link) for the rest of the fiscal year after record-setting snow.
The state’s congressional delegation — Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Jack Reed, Representative Seth Magaziner, and Representative Gabe Amo — wrote a letter calling on the president to reverse the denial. A preliminary assessment found more than $19 million in damages across the state, the letter said.
“You chose to leave Rhode Islanders out in the cold,” the lawmakers wrote.
Meanwhile, the president approved a major disaster declaration for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts related to the February blizzard. (Federally recognized tribal governments can directly request a disaster declaration.)
Additionally, FEMA announced on Thursday that it had approved nearly $5.7 million for projects to reduce future disaster costs in New England, including more than $1 million for Massachusetts projects combating flooding.
Kate Selig can be reached at [kate.selig@globe.com](mailto:kate.selig@globe.com). Follow her on X [@kate_selig](https://www.twitter.com/kate_selig).