Chicago Mayor Vows to 'Push Back' After Trump Administration Denies Disaster Relief

Johnson says he'll use every tool available to get federal aid for residents impacted by severe storms.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is vowing to fight the Trump administration's decision to deny disaster relief for the city after severe storms flooded homes on the Southwest Side last summer. The mayor says he'll use every tool at his disposal to protect residents and ensure they receive federal aid, which the governor and county board president have also criticized as politically motivated.

Why it matters

The denial of disaster relief is the latest point of conflict between Chicago and the Trump administration, which has a history of rewarding political allies and punishing opponents. This decision leaves many residents still struggling to recover from the flooding and raises questions about the federal government's responsibility to assist states and cities during natural disasters.

The details

In August 2025, severe storms caused widespread flooding on Chicago's Southwest Side, with some homes being inundated with raw sewage twice in three weeks. The mayor, governor, and county board president have all criticized the Trump administration's decision to deny Illinois' request for disaster relief, accusing the president of playing politics. The administration says it carefully reviewed the requests and believes disaster response is a state responsibility, not a federal one.

  • The severe storms that caused the flooding occurred in August 2025.
  • The mayor held a news conference earlier today to address the denied disaster relief request.

The players

Brandon Johnson

The mayor of Chicago who is vowing to fight the Trump administration's decision and use every tool available to get federal aid for residents impacted by the flooding.

JB Pritzker

The governor of Illinois who called the Trump administration's decision a "new low" and said it was politically motivated.

Toni Preckwinkle

The Cook County Board President who accused the federal government of turning its back on people who need help the most.

Donald Trump

The former president whose administration denied Illinois' request for disaster relief, while approving requests from states that voted for him in the 2020 and 2024 elections.

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What they’re saying

“We're going to push back obviously in. Yeah, it's unfortunate that administration has shown so much animus towards working people. But I'm gonna use every single tool that's available to me to protect our people in our city.”

— Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago

“This is a new low for the president, and it's clearly politically motivated.”

— JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois

“The federal government has turned its back on some of the people who need help the most.”

— Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President

What’s next

The mayor says he will continue working with Chicago's congressional delegation to try to secure federal aid, and the city and state may explore legal options to challenge the Trump administration's decision.

The takeaway

This denial of disaster relief is the latest example of the Trump administration's tendency to reward political allies and punish opponents, leaving many Chicago residents struggling to recover from the severe storms. It raises broader questions about the federal government's role in assisting states and cities during natural disasters.