Trump administration rejects New Jersey’s appeal for $84 million in blizzard aid
State and local governments could be left covering costs from the February storm
The Trump administration has denied New Jersey’s appeal seeking $84.4 million in federal disaster assistance for costs associated with the record-breaking February blizzard.
The state requested a major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on April 7. The request sought help covering snow removal, debris cleanup, emergency work, and damage to public infrastructure and facilities in 19 counties, along with funding for hazard-mitigation projects statewide.
The administration denied the initial request July 2, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill appealed July 20. Federal officials rejected that appeal Thursday.
The Feb. 22 and 23 storm dropped nearly two feet of snow in parts of New Jersey, caused more than 500 crashes, and knocked out power to more than 127,000 customers. The storm was blamed for 15 deaths, and state officials estimated total costs exceeded $100 million.
Sherrill accused President Donald Trump of withholding aid to punish a state led by Democrats. She said FEMA officials determined New Jersey qualified for assistance before Trump overruled their recommendation.
The White House denied that politics influenced the decision. A spokeswoman said New Jersey has the financial and operational resources to cover the response and that federal disaster aid is intended to supplement, rather than replace, state and local spending.
Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim said New Jersey exceeded the federal threshold for disaster assistance and criticized the administration for denying the appeal without sufficient justification.
Rep. Frank Pallone had previously asked Republican congressional leaders to investigate why Trump denied New Jersey and three other Democratic-led states disaster declarations that federal officials had reportedly recommended approving. Pallone never received a response.
A July report from Democratic staff on a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee cited an analysis finding that the Trump administration had approved 23% of disaster requests from Democratic governors, compared with 89% from Republican governors. The report
Krystal Knapp is the founder, executive director, and publisher of The Jersey Vindicator and the founder of Planet Princeton. She has more than two decades of experience reporting in New Jersey, including 10 years at The Trenton Times, where she was the newsroom’s public records and computer-assisted reporting expert. Her work has been recognized by the New Jersey Press Association and the Center for Cooperative Media. You can reach her at Krystal AT jerseyvindicator.org.