Overview

• Presidential approvals for major disaster declarations are averaging almost 34 days this term, up from 24 days in Trump’s first term and far longer than the roughly eight-day average around 2000.
• The trend predates any single administration, with delays lengthening over decades; Biden’s final year averaged 26 days, higher than any year under Obama.
• After March 15 tornadoes in Mississippi, the governor’s April 1 request was approved May 21, a 50‑day wait, as Trump also cleared eight other pending declarations that had sat for weeks.
• Survivors are going longer without individual assistance and local governments are pausing work pending reimbursement assurances, including Walthall County, Mississippi, which halted debris cleanup after spending about $700,000.
• The White House cites more thorough reviews to ensure federal aid remains supplemental, while current and former FEMA employees warn that staffing cuts and a reorganization could strain disaster response.