{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/ri-delegation-opens-probe-into-trump-politicizing-disaster-relief", "RI Delegation Opens Probe into Trump Politicizing Disaster Relief", "2026-09-10", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", "jackreed", "https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases", "scraper", "PROVIDENCE, RI \u2013 In an effort to investigate and expose the Trump Administration\u2019s blatant and unwarranted politicization of federal disaster aid, Rhode Island\u2019s Congressional delegation sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) demanding answers and the preservation of records and documentation related to Rhode Island\u2019s request for a major disaster declaration for the historic February 2026 blizzard.\n\nDespite the fact that damage from the blizzard far surpassed FEMA\u2019s threshold for federal assistance, the Trump Administration unfairly denied the state\u2019s request and brazenly rejected appeals from Rhode Island and other \u2018Blue states\u2019 that requested a Major Disaster Declaration.\n\nBetween February 22-23, 2026, Rhode Island was struck by a record-breaking blizzard that dumped 37.9 inches of snow in a 24-hour period and the state experienced wind gusts of 74 miles per hour. The winter storm hit Rhode Island with the intensity of a Category 2 hurricane, caused severe power outages for tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders, and tragically resulted in two fatalities and hundreds of emergency room visits. The storm created immense challenges for local businesses, which faced prolonged closures due to storm-related damage and disruptions to transportation, utilities, and public services.\n\nIn the aftermath of the blizzard, Rhode Island officials worked directly with FEMA to document over $19 million in direct storm damages eligible for federal reimbursement.\n\nPointing out that the Trump Administration still has yet to provide Rhode Island with a written, detailed explanation for why the state\u2019s request was denied despite exceeding FEMA\u2019s thresholds for assistance, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo wrote to the executive branch: \u201cThe facts could not be clearer. This storm was not typical winter weather; indeed, the National Weather Service confirmed snowfall totals that exceeded the historical 1-day snowfall records in all five Rhode Island counties. Downplaying this devastating blizzard as just \u201cwinter weather\u201d is an insult to those whose lives and businesses were upended by the historic blizzard.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers note a cache of documents has already been obtained by Politico -- Trump overrode his own agencies to deny 4 Democratic disaster requests \u2013 that exposes partisan retribution. Politico notes: \u201cPresident Donald Trump overruled his own agencies when he denied disaster aid for four Democratic-led states this month.\n\n\u201cEmails between state and federal officials obtained by POLITICO along with more than 150 pages of documents submitted to FEMA by three states \u2014 New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island \u2014 provide new details about Trump\u2019s low rate of approving disaster aid for his political adversaries.\u201d\n\nFull text of the letter follows:\n\nDear Secretary Mullin and Administrator Hamilton:\n\nWe write to request that you immediately preserve and provide all Department of Homeland Security documentation related to Rhode Island\u2019s request for a major disaster declaration under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for its February 2026 blizzard.\n\nBetween February 22-23, 2026, Rhode Island was struck by a record-breaking blizzard that produced up to 37.9 inches of snow \u2013 its highest one-day snowfall on record \u2013 and up to 74-mile-per-hour winds. The storm hit the state with the intensity of a Category 2 hurricane, caused severe power outages, and tragically resulted in two fatalities and hundreds of emergency room visits. The State of Rhode Island worked with expert officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop a joint Preliminary Damage Assessment, which was submitted on April 7, 2026 with the state\u2019s request and found over $19 million in validated damages \u2013 more than nine times the threshold required for disaster assistance.\n\nTo date, FEMA has not provided Rhode Island officials with a written, detailed explanation for why the state\u2019s request was denied despite exceeding FEMA\u2019s thresholds for assistance. However, on September 3, 2026, Administrator Hamilton, referencing the Administration\u2019s denials for assistance to Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, posted on X: \u201cWinter weather is not new to the Northeast. Federal disaster aid is not a backstop for routine state & local budgeting.\u201d\n\nThe facts could not be clearer. This storm was not typical winter weather; indeed, the National Weather Service confirmed snowfall totals that exceeded the historical 1-day snowfall records in all five Rhode Island counties. Downplaying this devastating blizzard as just \u201cwinter weather\u201d is an insult to those whose lives and businesses were upended by the historic blizzard.\n\nGiven the lack of a detailed, written explanation and Administrator Hamilton\u2019s flippant claim that the blizzard\u2019s impact was a failure of state and local budgeting, we request that you immediately preserve and provide all communications and records, including those with other agencies, the President, and others at the White House, relating to FEMA\u2019s evaluation of Rhode Island\u2019s disaster request. If you fail to preserve and provide this information, it is only reasonable to assume that claim is entirely without merit.\n\nThank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.", 1, "2026-09-11T09:25:29Z", "2026-09-11T09:27:08Z"]], "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.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/ri-delegation-opens-probe-into-trump-politicizing-disaster-relief"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5111933462321758, "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"}