The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin

10/29/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/29/2025 16:22

Trump Administration Denies Hazard Mitigation Funding for Wisconsin Communities After Denying Public Assistance Relief

Press Release: Trump Administration Denies Hazard Mitigation Funding for Wisconsin Communities After Denying Public Assistance Relief

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 10/29/2025 03:20 PM CDT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 29, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
Trump Administration Denies Hazard Mitigation Funding for Wisconsin Communities After Denying Public Assistance Relief
Gov. Evers to fight latestTrump Administration denial of disaster assistance, will appeal decision forcommunities to get the support they need to rebuild and recover
MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers today announced that the Trump Administration has deniedWisconsin's application for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funding for Door, Grant, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties after severe storms and flooding caused severe damage to public infrastructure in August. This denial comes as, last week, Gov. Evers announced that he will also be appealing a decision by the Trump Administration to denyWisconsin's application for Public Assistance to help addressmore than $26.5 millionin damages to public infrastructurein the six counties impacted.

In addition to appealing thePublic Assistance denial, the governortodayannounced hewillalsobe filing an appeal for the Hazard Mitigation denial to ensure Wisconsincommunities receive the support they need topreventthis sort of destruction from happening again in the future. The state has 30 days to file a formal appeal, and the governor has directed Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) to submit additionaljustification for the request for funding.

"Talk about adding insult to injury. Not only did the Trump Administration deny our request for public assistance to help several communities rebuild and recover after severe weathercaused over $26.5 million in damages to public infrastructure, but now, they've also denied our request for funding to help prevent this sort of devastation from happening again in the future,"said Gov. Evers. "The Trump Administration has once again told the people of Wisconsin that they are on their own, and we just can'taccept that. We will be appealing this denial, in addition to appealing the denial for public assistancefunding, and we urge the Trump Administration to reconsider these decisions and work to support the families, businesses, and communities here in Wisconsinwho are working to rebuild and recover."

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Programprovides funding to help state and local governments implement projects aimed at reducing the risks and impactsof future disasters and is only made possible following a presidentially declared disaster. Mitigation programs, such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, have shown success in past flooding events. In Wauwatosa, following severe flooding in 1997, funding from this program supported the purchase and demolition of 23 flood-damaged homes. The city later acquiredan additional65 properties through local funding, creating what is now Hart Park. When the area flooded again in August, the open space prevented residential damage and reduced the need for emergency rescues.

The governor has been steadfast in his efforts to ensure the communities impactedby these severe weather events have the support and resources they need. On August 11, Gov. Evers declareda state of emergency in response to the severe weather across Wisconsin that occurred over the previous weekend. Following this declaration, the first step needed to receive federal disaster aid and assistance, the governor announced he submitteda request for FEMA to assistthe state in conducting a formal federal preliminary damage assessment of the damage caused by the extreme storms and flooding across the state. The governor's request came as a result ofWEM's reports that the initialstate and local damage review suggested Wisconsin would meet the federal threshold to receive federal aid and assistance. On August 27, Gov. Evers requested a formal presidential disaster declaration from President Donald Trump, a portionof which was approved in September.

FEMA's decision to deny the Hazard Mitigation grants limits support for certain public infrastructure and community-level projectsbut does not affect homeowners or renters who may qualify for federal assistancethrough the Individual Assistance program. The deadline to apply for FEMA's Individual Assistance program is Wed., Nov. 12, 2025. More informationon how to applyis available on the Wisconsin Emergency Management website here.
An online version of this release is available here.
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Office of the Governor • 115 East Capitol, Madison, WI 53702
Press Office Email: [email protected]
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The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin published this content on October 29, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 29, 2025 at 22:23 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]