Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a close ally of President Donald Trump, finds herself at odds with his administration after it denied her state's request for federal disaster aid following a series of deadly storms last month.
Trump has floated the idea of eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency and pushing states to potentially fend for themselves in the wake of natural disasters. He’s already denied disaster aid requests from Washington and North Carolina — states led by Democratic governors — and he suggested withholding aid from Democrat-led California unless it institutes a restrictive voter law. But the denial of disaster aid to Arkansas, a state he won with 64% of the vote in last year’s presidential election, appears to offer fresh evidence that he intends to follow through on his efforts to gut FEMA — even if it potentially harms some of his fiercest supporters.
Sanders, who served as White House press secretary during Trump's first term, filed an appeal of the Trump administration’s aid denial April 18. In the appeal, she noted that the storms killed at least three people and injured 32 others, and detailed significant property loss and damage. And Arkansas’ congressional delegation, which is entirely Republican, co-signed a letter to Trump urging him to "reconsider the denial."
“Given the cumulative impact and sheer magnitude of destruction from these severe weather events, federal assistance is vital to ensure that state and local communities have the capabilities needed to rebuild,” the delegation wrote.
Earlier this year, Sanders praised the Trump administration's efforts to slash funding for federal agencies, including FEMA, and called Elon Musk's cost-cutting operation a "gamechanger." But those efforts are now impacting storm victims in her state.
Last week, Sanders said during an interview, "I've talked to the president. I've talked to [Department of Homeland Security] Secretary Noem. We want to make sure that people are taken care of, and we're going to continue to work to ensure that happens."
It seems Arkansans in need are being forced to wait with bated breath to see whether Trump — someone dangerously ignorant about climate change and severe weather events — and his administration believe their experiences warrant recovery funds.