In response to Kristi Noem refusing to commit to standing up to Donald Trump’s attempts to play politics with disaster relief, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:  

“Donald Trump already told us he is ready to use desperately needed disaster relief as a bargaining chip for his extreme political agenda – and now Kristi Noem is refusing to rule out playing the same political games with billions in critical aid. Let’s be clear: Trump only picked Noem because he wants an unqualified loyalist who will do his bidding no matter what, and Noem’s answers today are the latest evidence that she will always put Trump and his own selfish interests over the American people.”

Kristi Noem repeatedly refused to answer whether she would stand up to Donald Trump if he chose to withhold disaster relief to blue states. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal: “I assume you will agree with me that withholding disaster relief by President Trump … is a violation of his duty and of law?”

Noem: *Dodges*

Blumenthal: “I want to ask you yes or no, with all due respect.”

Noem: *Continues to avoid question*

Blumenthal: “So, if President Trump were to say to you, we’re going to withhold money from Connecticut, or Michigan … because we don’t like the governor or we don’t like the politics of the state, you would stand up to him and say, Mr. President, we need to allocate that money?”

Noem: “… I don’t speak to hypotheticals.”

Blumenthal: “It’s more than a hypothetical, with all due respect. … It’s based on experience with President Trump withholding money from Washington State and elsewhere. … Will you say no to the president if he withholds that money?”

Noem: “I don’t know about the scenarios that you’re referencing.”

Trump is once again threatening to play politics with disaster relief, suggesting tying it to his reconciliation bill so he can get “everything we want.”

Trump: “If you add Los Angeles into it then you can really do one, big beautiful bill because frankly they want that so badly. They want the money to go out there so badly. And I don’t think we should do a bill until Los Angeles is included, and when Los Angeles is included, we get everything we want.”

Just weeks ago, Trump directed his MAGA minions to break a bipartisan agreement, threatening a government shutdown and critical disaster relief funding in the process. 

John Bresnahan, Punchbowl News: “New: Trump is telling Republican senators that he is totally opposed to the CR & believes Mike Johnson has mishandling the situation”

Lawrence Jones III, Fox News: “I just spoke with the President-Elect @realDonaldTrump, and he is ‘totally against’ the proposed CR.”

NBC News: “President-elect Donald Trump excoriated a bipartisan government funding bill Wednesday afternoon, throwing the stopgap measure into chaos just as leaders of both parties were hoping to pass it.”

CBS News: “The new stopgap measure, with approval from the House, Senate and President Biden, would keep the government funded through March 14, giving lawmakers more time to reach agreement on new spending bills when the GOP controls both the House and the Senate.”

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