Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) said Friday that “playing political games with disaster relief is corrupt,” adding that communities should be helped to rebuild after disasters “no matter who they voted for.”
Hickenlooper’s post, published at 4:01 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2026, linked a New York Times report published Oct. 21 titled “Trump Ties Disaster Aid to Votes as Midterm Fight Heats Up.” The article reported that the White House is using federal disaster relief as leverage while Republicans fight to keep power in Washington, with Vice President JD Vance promising more than $800 million in additional aid to western North Carolina on Monday, weeks after Trump said he would withhold aid if Democrat Roy Cooper wins the state’s Senate race.
Hickenlooper’s full post reads:
Playing political games with disaster relief is corrupt. We should help communities rebuild after disasters no matter who they voted for.
What the Report Describes
At a rally in Gastonia, N.C., last month, Trump said he would send more disaster aid to the state only if Republican Michael Whatley wins the Senate seat, then said he was “only kidding” and that the state was getting it. The article said Trump immediately called it a joke but has linked disaster assistance in North Carolina and other states to support for Republican candidates.
On Tuesday in Greenville, N.C., Trump blamed Cooper, the former governor, for failing to help clean up after Hurricane Helene. Cooper’s campaign pointed to executive orders he issued as governor to speed recovery and said hurricane victims are not pawns.
The article reported that states that tend to vote for Democrats have faced longer waits for aid and had more requests rejected during Trump’s second term, according to analyses of federal disaster declarations. Sarah Labowitz of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said politicizing the system means any president could take aid away from anyone.
In Ohio last month, Trump approved a federal disaster declaration a day before speaking at a rally for Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican in a tight race against Democrat Sherrod Brown. In a post announcing a disaster declaration for Wisconsin this month, Trump did not name Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and instead cited his conversation with Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Tom Tiffany.
FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton told state emergency managers Tuesday in Arkansas that states should hold budget reserves to handle immediate disaster response without FEMA and rely on mutual aid. The article said some changes shifting more responsibility to states could come in the next six months.
The article cited a North Carolina Budget and Tax Center report finding FEMA has paid out about $10.8 billion for Helene, covering 18 percent of roughly $60 billion in damage, a lower rate than for other hurricanes. In a WRAL and WSOC poll this month, fewer than 10 percent of state residents said they were “very satisfied” with the government’s response, and 5 percent in western North Carolina.
Hickenlooper’s Record on Disaster Aid
On Dec. 21, 2025, Hickenlooper, Sen. Michael Bennet and Gov. Jared Polis called on Trump to reverse his denial of Colorado’s Major Disaster Declaration requests for the Elk and Lee fires and flooding in western Colorado. “This isn’t a game,” Hickenlooper said at the time.
On April 14, 2026, after Trump upheld the refusal on appeal, Hickenlooper and Bennet called it “callous” and said, “Disasters are disasters, regardless of state lines or political parties.” The release said Hickenlooper has been very outspoken about the politicization of disaster relief.
On April 29, 2026, Hickenlooper and Bennet introduced the Disaster Declaration Transparency Act with Reps. Joe Neguse, Brittany Pettersen and Raja Krishnamoorthi. If a president rejects a request FEMA recommended for approval, the bill would require notice to Congress within 24 hours with a written explanation, and set fast-track procedures for votes. “Disaster relief should never be tied to politics,” Hickenlooper said.
On June 17, 2026, Hickenlooper and 17 Senate colleagues wrote to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought demanding transparency after reports that Trump’s administration rejected Public Assistance disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in FEMA’s 47-year history.
Colorado’s Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd agreed with the state’s Democrats that the request for aid was unified, saying local leaders want consistent application of FEMA criteria. Trump also reportedly denied $227 million in disaster funding requests from New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts earlier this year.
The article reported that Cooper has gained in polls and that analysts rate the North Carolina Senate race as likely to flip to Democrats. Election Day is Nov. 3.