MADISON – As Wisconsin recovers from another historic round of storms that brought tornadoes, hail and flooding to communities throughout the state, Gov. Tony Evers is seeking help from the state’s congressional delegation in obtaining federal aid from the Trump administration.
Evers on April 17 sent a letter to the state’s two U.S. senators and eight U.S. representatives asking for their assistance in persuading President Donald Trump to reconsider his previous denial of some aid after the 1,000-year-flood that devastated multiple counties last August and to approve assistance for this spring’s storm damage.
The Trump administration’s denials and delayed responses to previous requests “have left Wisconsin more vulnerable to this next wave of storms and flooding,” Evers wrote.
“Wisconsin’s families, businesses, and local and Tribal governments will need a strong federal partnership in the weeks and months ahead, and I am writing today to ask for your early engagement on behalf of our state.”
The National Weather Service issued more than 90 tornado warnings during last week’s storms, and has confirmed at least 19 touched down since April 13. Multiple rivers throughout the state remain flooded as of April 20.
The governor declared a state of emergency on April 15 and activated the National Guard to assist with response and recovery efforts.
In his letter to the congressional delegation, Evers highlighted a few examples of the damage wrought by last week’s storms, including an EF-3 tornado that destroyed a home and damaged other structures in Union Center, a large-scale evacuation order in the Village of Shiocton and additional flooding in Milwaukee reminiscent of last year’s events.
The latest bout of severe weather came about two months after the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the state’s appeal for federal disaster relief aimed at repairing infrastructure like roads, bridges and parks in response to the August 2025 floods.
The Trump administration first denied the state’s $26.5 million request for Door, Grant, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties in October 2025. The administration did grant a separate request in September 2025 for $29.8 million in FEMA Individual Assistance for homeowners in Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.
FEMA also denied a request for hazard mitigation grant funds; it has not yet responded to Evers’ appeal.
Evers noted both denials were issued despite letters of bipartisan support from the state’s congressional delegation.
As a result, Evers wrote, “communities from rural villages in Grant County to densely populated suburbs in Milwaukee County were left without critical federal assistance, and local and state partners are absorbing tens of millions of dollars in disaster recovery costs largely on their own.”
“Local governments are being asked to shoulder what the federal government has historically helped to bear, including infrastructure repairs, restoration of services, and mitigation work to protect residents from future harm,” he wrote. “That should not be the experience of any state, and it should not be Wisconsin’s experience again as we endure new extreme weather and prepare a new request for federal assistance for many of the same communities still rebuilding.”
The governor urged members of Congress to write letters of support, have direct conversations with Trump administration officials and demonstrate bipartisan support for the requested assistance.
A White House spokeswoman earlier said Trump provides “a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests” than previous administrations.
“The President responds to each request for Federal assistance under the Stafford Act 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,” Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said in an email.
“The Trump administration remains committed to empowering and working with State and local governments to invest in their own resilience before disaster strikes, making response less urgent and recovery less prolonged.”
Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers asks congressional delegation to push Trump for storm aid
Reporting by Jessie Opoien, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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