"A pair of House Democrats is asking a congressional watchdog to probe the Trump administration’s disaster declarations after high-profile denials of disaster aid requests. 

Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Timothy Kennedy (D-N.Y.) asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into the criteria used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to determine whether to recommend the president grants a major disaster declaration.

They also asked the nonpartisan office to look into how often a president’s decision has aligned with FEMA’s recommendations over the past 10 years and whether underserved communities are assessed with equity.

Their letter, which was first shared with The Hill, comes after politicians in states such as Colorado have accused the administration of playing politics with disaster aid after their requests were denied."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill May 28, 2026. [2]