Washington lawmakers urge Trump to reconsider disaster funds after bomb cyclone

The bomb cyclone left $34 million in damages across six counties, Washington lawmakers say

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A bipartisan group of Washington state lawmakers is urging President Trump to reconsider the state’s major disaster declaration request after a deadly bomb cyclone in November.

On May 21, Washington’s congressional delegation sent a letter to the president, emphasizing the need for federal assistance to address the $34 million in damage from devastating windstorms, heavy rain, flooding and mudslides from Nov. 17-25, 2024.

The damage spanned six counties, including Pacific, Wahkiakum, East King, Grays Harbor, Snohomish, and Walla Walla counties, lawmakers said, noting Pacific and Wahkiakum saw sinkholes, damaged utility infrastructure and structures.

“One of the most destructive storms in recent history, it overwhelmed public infrastructure, endangered lives, and left residents across the state grappling with long-term consequences. This is precisely the kind of catastrophic event for which the federal declaration process was designed. The state’s request outlines over $34 million in damages across these six counties – costs that local governments cannot and should not be expected to shoulder alone,” the lawmakers wrote Trump.

“Disaster declarations are not symbolic, they are critical lifelines for communities in crisis. Washington state’s first responders, local governments, and emergency management professionals have done everything within their means to begin recovery, but the scale of the damage requires federal support through the Public Assistance Program and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program,” the letter continued. 

Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) signed the letter along with Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-01), Rick Larsen (D-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-03), Dan Newhouse (R-04), Michael Baumgartner (R-05), Emily Randall (D-06), Pramila Jayapal (D-07), Kim Schrier (D-08), Adam Smith (D-09), and Marilyn Strickland (D-10). 

The lawmakers previously urged then-President Biden to grant the declaration in January.

The letter comes after Washington Governor Bob Ferguson announced plans to appeal the denied FEMA relief in April.

“There are very clear criteria to qualify for these emergency relief funds. Washington’s application met all of them,” Gov. Ferguson said in April. “This is another troubling example of the federal government withholding funding. Washington communities have been waiting for months for the resources they need to fully recover from last winter’s devastating storms, and this decision will cause further delay. We will appeal.”

According to Gov. Ferguson’s office, Washington applied for FEMA disaster relief funds in January to repair public highways, utilities and electrical power systems.

However, FEMA denied former Gov. Jay Inslee’s application, stating the federal funds were not “warranted.”

In a statement to KOIN 6 News on April 17, a FEMA spokesperson said, “FEMA denied Washington’s declaration after a thorough assessment showed the event’s damage does not exceed the state, local governments, and voluntary organizations’ capacity to respond—thus, supplemental federal aid is not justified. This decision is based on policy, not politics; Tennessee and Arkansas were also denied the same day. The only one politicizing this is Washington’s governor, who’d rather play partisan games than lead his state’s recovery efforts—unlike the last administration, DHS and FEMA remain focused on equitable, non-political disaster response.”