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.
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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