FEMA Faces Record-Breaking Backlog of Disaster Assistance Requests

Federal authorities are facing mounting criticism over a growing backlog of disaster assistance applications at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with delays reaching unprecedented levels under the second Trump administration.

Days before a devastating winter storm swept across much of the country, killing more than 30 people, Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) issued a stark warning about the agency’s capacity to respond to emergencies.

“As the only former Emergency Management Director in Congress, it is my responsibility to sound the alarm that FEMA is being dismantled by Secretary Kristi Noem,” Moskowitz wrote on social media. “FEMA’s backlog of unanswered disaster assistance applications has exploded to the largest in its history.”

Moskowitz, who led Florida’s Division of Emergency Management from 2019 to 2021, highlighted concerns that have been echoed by disaster management experts and former FEMA officials. President Trump has previously suggested abolishing the agency altogether, citing its difficulties in delivering timely assistance.

Current data shows 18 pending disaster declaration requests as of late January, with 11 of those applications more than a month old. This represents a significant departure from historical norms, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

The AP’s examination of FEMA’s operations over the past 37 years found that disaster declarations typically took less than two weeks for presidential approval throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. That timeline increased to approximately three weeks during the last decade under presidents from both parties. Under Trump’s second term, approvals are now taking more than a month on average.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the administration’s approach, telling the AP that Trump was ensuring federal funds were “spent wisely to supplement state actions, not replace them.” Jackson characterized the increased scrutiny as “not a bug, but a feature” of the administration’s disaster response policy.

Former FEMA officials, however, express concern about the growing delays. Elizabeth Zimmerman, who served as a FEMA administrator during the Obama administration, noted that “a reasonable amount of time for approval should really be no more than two weeks,” while acknowledging that timelines may vary based on the type and scale of the disaster.

The slowdowns have real-world consequences for disaster victims. Communities affected by natural disasters face extended waits for temporary housing assistance, home repair funding, and other critical recovery resources. Local governments are left in limbo, unable to plan effectively without knowing when—or if—federal reimbursements will arrive.

Structural changes within FEMA have reportedly contributed to the processing delays. The Wall Street Journal, citing internal documents and agency sources, reported in September that many core functions at FEMA have “ground to a halt” due to new bureaucratic hurdles. Senior staff departures following buyout offers from the Department of Government Efficiency have stripped the agency of decades of institutional knowledge.

Further complicating matters, Secretary Noem implemented a policy requiring her personal approval for any expenditure exceeding $100,000, creating an additional bottleneck. Recent reporting suggests this requirement has delayed the distribution of billions in previously approved disaster funds.

According to The New York Times, approximately $17 billion in FEMA assistance has faced “unusually long delays” due to this additional layer of review. This includes funding for critical infrastructure repairs and emergency response activities that regional FEMA offices had already approved.

While the precise historical comparison of backlog sizes is difficult to establish due to limited public data, the available evidence supports Moskowitz’s core claim about unprecedented delays. The combination of administrative changes, staffing reductions, and heightened executive scrutiny has created what former officials describe as an exceptional situation in FEMA’s 47-year history.

As climate change contributes to more frequent and intense natural disasters, the capacity of federal emergency response systems remains a critical concern for vulnerable communities across the nation.