President Donald Trump overruled his own agencies when he denied disaster aid for four Democratic-led states this month. Trump handles disaster requests "with great care" to ensure state aid is used "to supplement — not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters." The estimate is then used to make recommendations to the president about whether disaster aid is warranted. The Senate Appropriations Committee said in a report last year that it "reaffirms Congress' intent … that snowstorms shall be eligible for Federal disaster relief." Chair Susan Collins, a Republican, is from Maine, which has received roughly $20 million in FEMA snow assistance.