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Trump's approach to disaster aid was influenced by politics, say former aides

A former White House adviser has claimed Donald Trump hesitated to provide wildfire disaster aid to California in 2018 because the state leans Democratic.

Scott Waldman and Thomas Frank report for Politico.

In short:

  • Former Trump official Mark Harvey said Trump resisted approving California wildfire aid until he saw that some affected areas had Trump supporters.
  • Trump allegedly used disaster response to favor areas that supported him politically, while delaying aid to those that did not, including Puerto Rico.
  • FEMA's former administrator called for disaster response to be free from political influence, stating it should prioritize people over politics.

Key quote:

“You would hope that in major disasters like this, you could get the politics out of the disaster, and you would hope that we could focus on the people that are hurting.”

— Brock Long, former Trump FEMA Administrator

Why this matters:

When disaster aid becomes a political bargaining chip, it erodes trust in government to protect people regardless of party affiliation. Read more: Ripe for disaster declarations — heat, wildfire smoke and death data.

www.politico.com
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