{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-statement-on-fema-again-denying-major-disaster-declaration-for-new-york-state-for-february-blizzard/", "Gillibrand Statement On FEMA Again Denying Major Disaster Declaration For New York State For February Blizzard", "2026-09-03", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) made the following statement on the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s (FEMA) decision to deny for a second time Governor Kathy Hochul\u2019s Major Disaster Declaration request in response to the February blizzard that brought record snowfall, high wind speeds, and coastal flooding to New York:\n\n\u201cFEMA\u2019s decision to again deny Governor Hochul\u2019s request is wrong and a massive blow to New York State\u2019s recovery efforts. In the wake of February\u2019s record-breaking blizzard, our local governments stepped up to protect residents and save lives. Our municipal partners shouldn\u2019t be penalized for doing the right thing, and the federal government has a responsibility to support New York\u2019s full recovery. Once again, this administration is showing that it has unlimited money for bombs, billionaires, and ballrooms, but nothing to help the American people.\u201d\n\nGovernor Hochul\u2019s Disaster Declaration request was first denied in July despite the blizzard meeting every FEMA threshold for federal assistance.\n\nIn April, Senators Gillibrand and Schumer called on President Trump to approve Governor Kathy Hochul\u2019s Major Disaster Declaration request. The governor made the request for Public Assistance for Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, along with Snow Assistance for Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties, and Hazard Mitigation for the entire state. Tragically, the blizzard resulted in the death of several people across the state of New York.\n\nGovernor Hochul\u2019s Major Disaster Declaration request under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act would authorize FEMA aid to help New Yorkers recover and rebuild.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-04T09:19:37Z", "2026-09-04T09:20:58Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-statement-on-fema-again-denying-major-disaster-declaration-for-new-york-state-for-february-blizzard/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1617759484797716, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}