Politics
Johnson Vows to ‘Push Back’ After Trump Administration Denies Disaster Relief Request
Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed Tuesday to “push back” after the Trump administration rejected officials’ pleas for disaster relief funds after storms flooded basements across the Southwest Side twice during the summer of 2025.
Chicagoans “suffered tremendously” during those storms and should be able to rely on the federal government for help, Johnson said Tuesday.
“We’re going to push back,” Johnson said at a City Hall news conference. “It’s unfortunate that this administration has shown so much animus towards working people. But I’m going to use every single tool that’s available to me, to protect our people in our city, to ensure that we receive our fair share in the federal government, particularly when these families desperately need relief as quickly as possible.”
Gov. JB Pritzker, a frequent critic of the president who has declined to rule out a run for president in 2028, called the decision to reject Illinois’ appeal a “politically motivated decision that punishes thousands of Illinois families in a critical moment of need.”
State officials asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to authorize assistance for residents who suffered damage during the storms that swept the nation Aug. 16-19, 2025.
The deluge overwhelmed the city’s sewer system in neighborhoods like Garfield Ridge, sending sewage into basements. That left homeowners struggling to clean up the mess and remove mold and other water damage, according to the state’s plea for help.
While the president approved disaster relief for residents of Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota, all states he won during the 2024 election, he denied requests from Illinois, Maryland and Vermont, all states he lost.
When announcing his decision to approve some states’ requests for aid, Trump posted on social media that he won North Dakota and Alaska “BIG” in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the denial "further confirms the Trump administration’s disregard for the fundamental responsibilities of government.”
“Our communities suffered real and lasting harm, yet the federal government continues to turn its back when help is needed most,” Preckwinkle said in a statement. “This is unacceptable and makes recovery harder for those who can least afford it.”
Pritzker said the Trump administration’s decision to play politics “with disaster relief funding is a new low.”
“Ignoring the realities of widespread damage from the August 2025 severe storms, speaks volumes about the federal government’s vindictive priorities and complete disregard for American livelihoods,” Pritzker said in a statement.
The White House has defended its decision, saying the president responds to federal aid requests “with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement — not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.”
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
