LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Republicans are opposing suggestions from President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that federal disaster aid for victims of the wildfires forests that have ravaged Southern California are expected to come with strings attached, which could jeopardize the president’s policy agenda in a deeply divided Congress at the start of his second term.
As Trump plans to visit the fire-ravaged state this week, resistance from even a few House members to his efforts to impose conditions on disaster aid could further complicate further an already strained relationship between reliably liberal California and the second Trump administration.
Several Republicans who narrowly won seats in the California House of Representatives in November expressed dismay that state aid could be tied to demands in exchange for helping the thousands of Californians in their districts still reeling from this month’s disaster.
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“Playing politics with people’s livelihoods is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the victims of the Southern California wildfires and to our brave first responders,” said Republican Rep. Young Kim, whose district closely divided is anchored in fire-prone Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles. Angeles, said in a statement.
In an interview broadcast Wednesday evening, Trump said he might withhold aid to California until the state adjusts how it manages its scarce water resources. He falsely claimed that California’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state were responsible for drying up fire hydrants in urban areas.
“I don’t think we should give anything to California until they let the water flow,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Local officials said conservation efforts for the delta smelt had nothing to do with hydrants drying up as firefighters tried to contain blazes around Los Angeles. They said intense demand on a municipal system not designed to fight such fires was to blame.
Wind-driven firestorms destroyed entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, left thousands homeless and killed more than two dozen people.
Trump said earlier this week that discussions were underway at the White House to bring more water to still-parched Los Angeles, referring to precipitation runoff lost to the Pacific and the vast storage and distribution system of state water.
“Los Angeles has enormous amounts of water. All they have to do is turn the valve,” the president said.
California has long been a favorite target of Trump, who also addressed the fires in his inaugural address Monday. In Los Angeles, he said, “we’re still seeing tragic fires from weeks ago, without even a sign of defense.”
“This will change.”
Trump made no mention of the multinational firefighting force deployed to deal with multiple fires. Firefighters were gaining ground on the two major blazes Wednesday when a third blaze broke out north of Los Angeles and quickly burned hundreds of acres of dry brush.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican echoing Trump’s complaints, said there were “serious” problems in the way the state is run. These include insufficient funding for forestry programs and water storage. He also highlighted the public dispute between the Los Angeles fire chief and City Hall over budget cuts.
Johnson said Wednesday that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had not prepared the state or city for what was to come. He specifically cited a 117 million gallon tank that sat unused for nearly a year. Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the reservoir.
Bass did not directly answer a question about possible terms of disaster aid, saying in a statement: “Our work with our federal partners will be based on direct conversations with them about how we can work together. »
Some Republicans have suggested that Congress’ aid package could become embroiled in efforts to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — and with the House so divided, even a few dissenting votes from either party could change the result.
That leaves California’s Republican lawmakers with a political dilemma: Should they forcefully defend their home state, often pilloried by the Republican Party as representing everything that is wrong with America, while congressional Republicans are eager to show a united front and assert their victory in November? The election brings what Trump called a new “golden age” for the nation.
Several California representatives agreed that the federal government must guard against misuse of funds, but argued that money should not be withheld or subject to restrictions that are not imposed on other states after tornadoes and hurricanes.
The dilemma played out in social media posts by Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, who narrowly won in November in his swing district east of Los Angeles.
“Californians have the right to receive federal disaster assistance the same as all Americans,” he wrote on X. But, he quickly added, “some federal policy changes may be needed to speed up reconstruction and improve prevention of future wildfires. These kinds of policies are not conditions.
Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, whose sprawling district stretches from eastern Sacramento south to Death Valley, told KCRA-TV in Sacramento last week that Johnson’s use of the word conditions was not “particularly useful”. Speaking on Capitol Hill Wednesday, he said there is a lot of ambiguity about what constitutes the conditions for disaster aid.
He said his goal was to ensure money was not wasted because of government inefficiency.
“We want to make sure the money actually gets to the victims and they can use it to rebuild their homes and recover,” Kiley said.
Politicians in Washington have argued for years over how to contain the growing threat of wildfires across the West. Republicans have long complained that inadequate land management practices have exacerbated the damage caused by wildfires, while Democrats have emphasized the role of climate change and the federal government’s failure to address it.
The only thing they agree on is that the problem persists.
Some lawmakers noted that disaster aid provided over the years to Johnson’s home state of Louisiana did not come with strings attached. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the idea “unsustainable.”
Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, whose largely rural district stretches from the Sacramento region north to the Oregon border, said he wasn’t too concerned about talks about conditions .
“Everything has strings attached, especially the way California wastes money,” LaMalfa said. “We want to help people and we want to help them, as we have done with others. But California is very, very irresponsible. »
Trump plans to visit the state Friday to survey the damage. Newsom has not said publicly whether he will accompany her on her tour.
With the fragile Republican majority in the House – there are 219 Republicans, 214 Democrats and one vacancy – Johnson cannot afford defections on any vote. And it could be several weeks before a more complete assessment of the state’s recovery needs is ready and a formal request is submitted to the White House.
Following major natural disasters, the president typically requests additional spending, as occurred after Hurricanes Helen and Milton.
Congress could also provide more disaster aid to California through legislation. Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said he would work to include disaster aid in a filibuster-proof bill that Republicans hope developed this year and which would fund some of Trump’s top policy priorities.
Newsom urged Johnson and other congressional leaders to quickly approve aid to the state, where fires are still burning and high winds continue to threaten new ones. In an email to supporters on his campaign committee, he warned that “Republicans are holding federal aid hostage” and said Democrats might be able to take away a handful of GOP votes to pass a assistance program.
“In times of natural disaster – from Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Helena – Americans have always stood united, putting aside politics to reach out to those in need,” the governor wrote. “Historically, federal disaster assistance has been provided without strings attached. »
Freking reported from Washington.
