ATLANTA — The Trump administration has turned down a request by Georgia officials to extend the deadline for local governments to apply for federal disaster assistance.
But Gov. Brian Kemp told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot that they expected the denial and budgeted for it.
Kemp is currently in Germany on an economic trip, but Elliot got a chance to talk to him about denial along with other topics.
Kemp said they doubted they were ever going to get it, so they were prepared.
Kemp had toured some of hurricane-ravaged Augusta with Trump in the days after Hurricane Helene tore its way across Georgia, doing more than $5 billion in damage just to agriculture and the timber industry.
On Friday, the Trump administration denied Georgia’s request to give local governments more time to apply for federal disaster assistance.
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Kemp said FEMA had already given Georgia one deadline extension, but he hoped for more.
“This last extension really would have been unprecedented. It’s not something they would normally do. But, hey, from my perspective, it never hurts to ask,” Kemp said.
That extension could have given those local governments more time to ask for reimbursements for things like debris removal and emergency protective measures.
In a statement Friday, Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff criticized the denial, saying “The decision is wrong, and I urge the Trump administration to reverse course and ensure Georgia’s local governments get the vital support they need.”
Kemp meanwhile said they anticipated the denial and put money into the amended state budget to help those governments cover some of those costs.
He says it remains one of his top priorities.
“I’m pushing really hard and fighting really hard for our folks that have been affected by Hurricane Helene and the other storms we’ve had to deal with. You know, we were hoping we were going to get it, but we’re not shocked or upset that we didn’t,” Kemp said.
The General Assembly approved more than $800 million to help the hurricane-affected areas of Georgia.
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