Trump is holding disaster relief hostage until states satisfy his election goals

President Donald Trump has already played games with the disbursement of federal funds to states that request them. As of late, Trump has been connecting his disaster assistance to Republican elections.

MS NOW producer Steve Benen spoke with The New Republic's Greg Sargent for the morning podcast about the unchallenged knack Trump has for using disaster relief funds to influence politics. As the election approaches, Benen is hoping that under new congressional leadership, there might be hearings. It adds to the long list of accountability demands that Democratic leadership will have.

"This is the sort of thing that can resonate, I think, with most people, because there’s an understanding: we don’t do that in the United States," Benen said in the discussion that aired Thursday. "We don’t connect communities that are affected by disasters and the money that the people in those communities need and deserve with electoral strategies and campaign strategies. Those two things should never be mixed."

But the fear is that it is exactly what is happening under Trump. There have been a series of examples in which, over the last year, Americans have watched as Trump's administration has not merely misused federal funds for political purposes, but also begun tying the delivery of federal funds to help his candidates running for office.

The most recent example was in Michigan, where Trump announced he had signed off on federal aid because two Republican candidates were running for governor and the U.S. Senate. Neither had anything to do with the funds.

"Is the White House making decisions as it relates to federal disaster funds for the purposes of affecting the outcomes of elections?" asked Benen.

"And if so, that’s the sort of thing that maybe the next Congress might want to investigate in more detail — maybe hold a congressional hearing or oversight hearing or two as it relates to this," said Benen.

"And yet we have reason to believe that that’s exactly what’s happening here," he lamented. "And I feel like it’s incumbent upon lawmakers and policymakers to get answers to these questions, because really, if this is happening in our name, it is a scandal that should help define Donald Trump’s second term."

The possible hearings over ethics violations are quickly stacking up, and it doesn't even include possible special committees Congress could impanel to investigate specific incidents such as Trump's weaponization efforts, the DOGE team, the destruction of federal property and more.

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