WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) backed Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ appeal and called on the Trump Administration to reverse its decision to deny federal assistance to Wisconsin communities recovering and building back after severe storms and flooding in April. While the Trump Administration approved some disaster assistance, it denied all hazard mitigation funding for the entire state that would help communities prevent or reduce damage from future disasters. The denial came after President Donald Trump rejected similar disaster aid for Wisconsin in 2025 after severe flooding, fitting into the trend of Democratic-run states being refused disaster aid at a record rate. The Trump Administration has denied disaster aid for states with Democratic governors at the highest rate in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Had hazard mitigation taken place after the first disaster, many of the damages for the current disaster declaration would have been avoided and taxpayer dollars saved,” wrote Senator Baldwin in a letter to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton. “In light of the documented damage and its impact on local and state capacity, I request that FEMA give full and fair consideration to Wisconsin’s appeal for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding. It is imperative that the HMGP is added to this declaration so Wisconsin communities are able to recover and prevent similar impacts from future disaster events while saving local, state and federal taxpayer dollars.”

In April, communities across Wisconsin experienced heavy rainfall and severe weather, causing rivers to flood their banks and destroy homes and businesses alike. Following the storms, Senator Baldwin called on the Trump Administration to act and support Wisconsin’s request for federal resources so communities could recover.

Full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Administrator Hamilton,

I write to express support for the State of Wisconsin’s appeal of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) denial of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding statewide in response to the severe storms and flooding that affected the state during the period of April 13-23, 2026.

On June 30, 2026, Wisconsin received a federal disaster declaration, DR-4923, for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance. However, on July 7, 2026, Wisconsin was denied Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding statewide.

The HMGP provides much-needed federal funds for long-term hazard mitigation projects to protect communities against future disasters. Some of the areas impacted by the April floods were still recovering from major flooding that occurred only eight months earlier. In August 2025, parts of the state experienced over 14 inches of rain in 24 hours, overwhelming local sewer systems and leading to a disaster declaration (DR-4892). The prior declaration was also denied HMPG funding.

Had hazard mitigation taken place after the first disaster, many of the damages for the current disaster declaration (DR-4923) would have been avoided and taxpayer dollars saved. In light of the documented damage and its impact on local and state capacity, I request that FEMA give full and fair consideration to Wisconsin’s appeal for HMGP funding. It is imperative that the HMGP is added to this declaration so Wisconsin communities are able to recover and prevent similar impacts from future disaster events while saving local, state and federal taxpayer dollars.

I remain committed to working with you to ensure Wisconsin communities receive appropriate federal support to recover and strengthen their resilience to future disasters. I appreciate your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

An online version of this release is available here.