Michael Baumgartner

OLYMPIA — Gov. Bob Ferguson and Congressman Michael Baumgartner have requested a meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss significant federal assistance following the Spokane Complex fires.

In a Monday letter, Ferguson, a Democrat in his first term as Governor, and Baumgartner, a Republican from Spokane in his first term in the House of Representatives, thank Trump for his “help with the devastating fires in our state and your personal engagement on this disaster.”

“As you know, we will soon be requesting a Major Disaster Declaration to assist thousands of Washingtonians,” the letter states. “Many of those individuals have lost everything.”

According to the letter, Ferguson and Baumgartner requested the meeting to share information directly with the president on the fires and discuss the request. According to the letter, staff from the governor’s office have been in communication with staff from the White House “to see if this meeting is possible.”

“We appreciate all that you and your team are doing to provide assistance during this very difficult time,” Ferguson and Baumgartner wrote.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Ferguson previously invited Trump to visit Eastern Washington to tour damage caused by the Spokane Complex fires. Last week, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum visited with the Spokane Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation before stopping by Spokane for a closed-door meeting at the incident command post for the Spokane fires.

During a press conference in Spokane last week, Ferguson said he expects to submit the disaster declaration by mid-September.

The declaration requires state and local governments to outline the damage caused in their areas, which includes showing the scale of the disaster is beyond the ability of the state, confirming the response of the state, providing estimates of the damage caused in the region, the cost of the response, and providing preliminary estimates for how much assistance is needed.

If approved, the declaration would provide federal assistance for individuals and local governments for public infrastructure, including money for emergency and permanent work.

“I’m very aware that these major disaster declarations are not always granted, and so we are determined to make our case as compelling as possible,” Ferguson said on Aug. 10.

While the request is likely to be submitted in the coming weeks, it could be months before the federal government issues a decision.

Following the historic flooding that damaged nearly 4,000 homes and led to evacuation orders for more than 100,000 people in early December 2025, Ferguson requested a Major Disaster Declaration on Jan. 21 of this year. The request was approved on April 11.