FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

CONTACT: press@iowademocrats.org

Weeks After Derecho, Iowans in 26 Counties Still Waiting for Trump to Make Good on Promise for Full Federal Support

Trump lied to Iowans about disaster relief, never left the airport when he visited, and weeks later is still withholding full federal aid to 26 counties 

DES MOINES — 22 days since the derecho, President Trump is still refusing full federal aid to 26 of the 27 Iowa counties in need of assistance. Farmers, homeowners, and families are still suffering after weeks as a direct result of the Trump administration’s failure to follow through and provide individual assistance to the areas hardest hit. Of the nearly $4 billion in aid requested, less than 2% has been approved.

A week after the storm, Trump promised full and immediate aid to Iowans — but this claim was a blatant lie. When he finally visited Iowa, his partisan and politicized trip lasted only an hour and he never left the airport to survey storm damage or meet hurting Iowans. It’s clear Trump doesn’t have an answer for the thousands of Iowans still waiting on assistance.

Read more about Trump’s failed leadership on the derecho below:

KGAN: Iowans in 26 counties still on hold for federal individual assistance

“Linn County remains the only Iowa county to have approval for federal individual assistance through FEMA even three weeks after a devastating derecho.

“FEMA Individual Assistance can provide grants to homeowners and renters whose primary residence has been so seriously damaged that it is not safe to live in the dwelling, according to FEMA spokesman John Mills. It applies to needs not met by insurance, other aid programs, or charitable organizations.

“Still, 26 of the 27 counties included in a request for such aid by Governor Kim Reynolds are still in the dark on whether they’ll be approved.

“‘There are thousands of Iowans in those 26 counties that have suffered just as much damage,’ says Cody Smith, a policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs.

[…]

“‘Three-point seven-seven million dollars that was requested in the governor’s original request to FEMA was not approved and that was for crop related damages,’ Smith says.

“In fact, Smith says of the nearly $4 billion Governor Reynolds requested, less than two-percent has been approved.”