Maryland village Wes Moore (D) said this week that the Trump administration denied disaster aid to its state after the floods in May.
A statement issued by his office on Wednesday said that the administration did not approve assistance to the state for the floods in May, even though the estimated damage of the state kept it above the threshold, so that it would need to reach to get assistance.
“The disastrous flood which collided with Western Maryland in May clearly fulfills the disaster aid criteria established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These communities demonstrated a clear requirement through their process of FEMA, and will appeal to the decision to find all available resources to support Maryland recovery efforts,” Moore said in the statement.
He said that due to rain, Georges Creek in Western Maryland overwhelmed in many cities.
The refusal is one of the several requests that have been rejected by the administration in recent months as it wants to overhaul FEMA.
“We are going to pay less money,” Trump saidDisaster Agency in June.
Asked why Maryland was denied assistance, White House spokesman Abigail Jackson did not give a special reason on Friday.
Jackson said in an email, “The President responded to each request for federal assistance under the Stafford Act, to ensure that the US tax dollar is used properly and efficiently by the states – to answer and fulfill their obligations to respond to disasters and recover,” Jackson said in an email.
He said, “The Trump administration is committed to empowering and working with the state and local governments, which to invest in their own flexibility before the disaster strike, the response less necessary and recovery less longer,” he said.
