McKee calls FEMA’s denial of Rhode Island’s blizzard relief request ‘a new low’

Gov. Dan McKee and Rhode Island’s congressional delegation are blasting the Trump administration after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) again rejected the state’s request for $19 million to cover recovery costs associated with February’s historic blizzard.

McKee’s office appealed FEMA’s initial denial of the state’s April request for funding relief  under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act on July 15. The law allows governors to either request support for disasters caused by severe weather or if “the situation is beyond the capability of the state.”

In a letter to McKee on Wednesday, FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton wrote the agency reviewed Rhode Island’s initial request and appeal only to determine financial aid was not warranted for the hurricane-strength blizzard that buried the state in over 3 feet of snow.

Trump rejects Rhode Island’s request for blizzard relief. McKee vows to appeal.

Hamilton’s letter did not explain why Rhode Island failed to meet the criteria for federal aid. But in a post on X around 5 p.m. Wednesday, he elaborated on the denial, which also applied to similar requests from New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

“Winter weather is not new to the Northeast,” Hamilton wrote. “Federal disaster aid is not a backstop for routine state & local budgeting.”

The governor in a statement Thursday called the latest aid denial as “a new low” for the Trump administration.

“Rhode Island worked with cities and towns to submit all the necessary data to the federal government and exceeded the threshold to qualify for disaster relief,” McKee said. “President Trump responded by turning his back on Rhode Island and shifting the financial burden for this blizzard entirely onto our communities and taxpayers.”

Over 3 feet of snow blanketed many parts of Rhode Island, with 37.9 inches of snow recorded at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport when the blizzard hit on Monday, Feb. 23. That surpassed the 28.6 inches recorded during the Blizzard of 1978. The blizzard had the magnitude of a Category 2 hurricane, with wind gusts reaching 74 mph.

Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania and Vermont all sent plows and personnel to dig out Rhode Island in the days after the record storm.

The storm knocked out power to thousands of homes and caused an estimated $19 million in damage and cleanup costs, including about $9 million in state costs and another $10 million incurred by Rhode Island’s cities and towns.

Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKee’s office, told Rhode Island Current the state could cover most of its roughly blizzard costs with unspent money from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation — along with smaller balances from other state agencies.

“However, the fact that the state has a contingency plan does not excuse the federal government from meeting its responsibility,” she said in an email.

U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined U.S. Reps. Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo in slamming the Trump administration’s denial in a joint statement issued Friday.

“The damage to Rhode Island from this historic storm is clear and it far surpassed the threshold for federal aid,” they said. “We believe there is evidence that will show Rhode Island was unfairly denied assistance based on partisan reasons.”

A Politico analysis in March found Trump’s administration has been far more willing to grant disaster declarations for Republican-led states, approving 89% of requests compared to only 23% of requests from Democratic-led states.

At the time FEMA initially denied Rhode Island’s request in July, the agency had approved disaster assistance for several red and purple states, as well as blizzard recovery aid for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts.

Rhode Island’s congressional delegates said they will continue to push the administration for relief even after this latest rejection.

“When a storm strikes, our emergency personnel always step up and prioritize public safety,” they said in a joint statement. “This may have been the final FEMA appeal, but it is far from the end of this matter.”