(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. senator says she has little doubt that there is enough flood damage around the state to qualify for federal help.
But Tuesday she said she has less confidence in President Donald Trump.
“Confident and Trump Administration are not two phrases that I don’t necessarily always put in a sentence together,” Baldwin told reporters. “The president has said very disparaging things about FEMA, before the start of his term. He even talked about abolishing FEMA.”
Baldwin said the president has changed his tune. But she also said she wants to “hold his feet to the fire.”
Her comments came just hours after Wisconsin’s entire Congressional delegation signed off on a letter to FEMA asking for federal assistance after last week’s record flooding.
“On Aug. 9 and 10, historic rainfall caused severe flooding across the Milwaukee region, resulting in widespread damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure. The storm produced the second-highest 48-hour rainfall total on record in Milwaukee. Some areas saw more than 14 inches of rain in under 24 hours, overwhelming roads, basements, parking structures, and utility systems,” the letter states. “The Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Root rivers reached record levels, flooding thousands of properties and prompting emergency crews to respond to hundreds of rescues and infrastructure problems.”
Baldwin signed the letter.
The letter asks for a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment to get a sense of the damage. The congressional delegation also said it expects to make a formal request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration. That would not only open a pipeline for money to flow to the government’s impacted by the floods but some of the 13,000 people who saw damage to their homes or businesses.
“Federal assistance will be critical to repairing the damage from these severe weather events and supporting the long-term recovery of our communities,” the letter states. “
