DENVER — Governor of Colorado Jared Polis indicted president Donald Trump play “political games” on Sunday after the Trump administration rejected requests for a disaster declaration following wildfires and floods in the state earlier this year.
Polis' office said he received two denial letters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency late Saturday. The letters follow requests for major disaster declarations. after forest fires landslides in August and what Polis called “historic flooding.” through southwest Colorado in October.
U.S. Senators from Polis and Colorado, fellow Democrats Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, condemned the denials. Polis said the state will appeal.
“Coloradians affected by the Elk and Lee fires and flooding in southwest Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing,” he said in a statement.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said Trump responds to every request for federal disaster assistance “with great care and attention, ensuring that American tax dollars are used appropriately and effectively by states to complement, not replace, their disaster response and recovery responsibilities.”
Jackson said there is “no politicization” in Trump's decisions about disaster relief.
Trump put forward the idea FEMA “phase out”saying he wants states to take more responsibility. States already take the lead in disaster management, but federal assistance comes into play when needs exceed what they can handle on their own.
