{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-bennet-polis-call-on-president-to-reverse-denial-of-colorados-disaster-requests/", "Hickenlooper, Bennet, Polis Call on President to Reverse Denial of Colorado\u2019s Disaster Requests", "2025-12-21", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "This Saturday, President Trump denied Colorado\u2019s requests for FEMA funding to help communities rebuild from devastation fires and floods\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Governor Jared Polis called on President Trump to reverse his decision to deny Colorado\u2019s Major Disaster Declaration requests for the Elk and Lee Fires and the flooding in Western Colorado. These federal declarations would have unlocked FEMA funding to support the recovery efforts for each of these disasters, providing critical aid to impacted Western Colorado residents and businesses.\n\n\u201cColoradans are trying to rebuild their lives after fires and floods destroyed homes and communities across our state. Trump\u2019s decision to reject our disaster requests, and therefore withhold resources as our communities continue to recover, is unacceptable. This isn\u2019t a game. These are people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Hickenlooper.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s decision to deny Colorado\u2019s request for critical federal assistance is unacceptable,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cCommunities in Western Colorado are in serious need of help after the life-threatening flooding and historic wildfires earlier this year. Trump continues to use Coloradans for political games; it is malicious and obscene. A disaster is a disaster, regardless of what state in the country it took place. Together with Governor Polis and the Colorado delegation, I will take every available step to appeal this decision.\u201d\n\n\u201cColoradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing. One of the most amazing things to witness as Governor has been the resilience of Coloradans following a natural disaster. Their courage, strength, and willingness to help one another is unmatched \u2013 values that President Trump seems to have forgotten. I call on the President\u2019s better angels, and urge him to reconsider these requests. This is about the Coloradans who need this support, and we won\u2019t stop fighting for them to get what they deserve. Colorado will be appealing this decision,\u201d said Polis.\n\nHickenlooper and the entire Colorado delegation previously wrote to President Trump to support both of Governor Polis\u2019 requests for Presidential Major Disaster Declarations and the activation of Public Assistance to help Colorado communities recover from the fires and the floods.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-bennet-polis-call-on-president-to-reverse-denial-of-colorados-disaster-requests/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1112468782812357, "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"}