Trump administration denies Illinois’ request for disaster relief —
again
[October 09, 2026]
By Ben Szalinski
President Donald Trump’s administration denied Illinois’ request on
Thursday for federal disaster relief in eight counties after days of
severe weather hit the state in August.
Gov. JB Pritzker submitted a request to the Federal Emergency Management
Agency last month seeking resources to help the eight counties recover
from flooding, tornadoes and severe wind damage. FEMA Administrator
Cameron Hamilton said in a response letter that assistance was “not
warranted,” according to the governor’s office.
“Our communities are still picking up the pieces from the destruction
caused by severe weather this summer,” Pritzker said in a statement.
“Donald Trump should never play politics with their homes, businesses,
and infrastructure.”
The governor’s request covered Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean,
Tazewell, Vermilion and Will counties. It came after the state completed
a preliminary damage assessment and determined the damage was beyond the
state’s ability to handle by itself and contending it should meet the
threshold for federal assistance.
On Aug. 11, a storm produced tornadoes and wind gusts approaching 100
mph in southern Cook County and Will County, according to the National
Weather Service. Many of those same communities were slammed by
tornadoes and high winds on July 27 and were still recovering.
FEMA granted Indiana’s request on Aug. 25 for federal help following the
same Aug. 11 storm which left many residents just across the state line
without power for weeks.
More storms on Aug. 13 brought significant wind damage to McLean County,
where the Normal Fire Department said it set a new record for most calls
during a 24-hour shift. Many communities in central Illinois reported
flooding from another round of storms on Aug. 14.
Illinois submitted its disaster declaration Sept. 15. Pritzker said the
delay was needed to get a clearer accounting of damage, though his
Republican challenger Darren Bailey criticized him for not submitting it
sooner.
On Thursday, Bailey issued a statement saying he was also “disappointed”
by FEMA’s decision.
“I’m calling on the FEMA to re-evaluate and reverse this decision to
ensure the hardworking Americans who live in our state get the relief
they desperately need,” Bailey said.
Had FEMA approved Pritzker’s request, it would’ve unlocked several
federal programs for residents and businesses impacted by the storms,
including grants for repairs. Local governments would have also been
able to use FEMA’s public assistance program to repair infrastructure
and receive reimbursements for debris removal and emergency responses to
the storms.
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Storm damage can be seen throughout Lansing, Illinois, on Aug. 14,
2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Maggie Dougherty)
Blue state denials
Each member of Illinois’ congressional delegation, including the three
Republicans, also signed a letter to Trump supporting Pritzker’s
request.
“Much like a toddler throwing a tantrum, Donald Trump continues to
punish Americans who live in states that did not support him in the last
election,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, said in
response to FEMA’s decision Thursday.
It’s the third time FEMA has denied a request from Illinois since Trump
took office again in 2025. Last year, the Trump administration denied
two requests for assistance after summer storms caused severe flooding
in the Chicago area. Pritzker criticized the decisions as “politically
motivated,” although FEMA has denied that in media statements. The U.S.
Small Business Administration did approve low-interest loans for
businesses impacted by the flooding.
The SBA has also approved Pritzker’s request from earlier this year
following spring tornadoes. Illinois has seen more than 200 tornadoes
this year — more than any other state.
A Politico analysis earlier this year found Democrat-led states saw just
23% of their disaster requests granted in his second term, compared to
89% for Republican states. Under the past six administrations —
including Trump’s first term — states led by either party saw similar
rates of approval, between 70% and 90%. The analysis also found the
administration took twice as long to issue decisions on requests from
blue states.
Trump’s administration has sought to raise the threshold for events to
qualify for FEMA disaster assistance by 50%, which would’ve reduced the
federal government’s disaster relief spending by $1.5 billion between
2012 and 2025, according to NPR.
Capitol News Illinois
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded
primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick
Foundation.
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