House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters that there “should probably be conditions” placed on additional federal aid to address the devastation from the Los Angeles wildfires.
“We’ve got to have a serious conversation about that,” Johnson told CNN on Capitol Hill. “Obviously, there has been water resource mismanagement, forest management mistakes, all sorts of problems. And it does come down to leadership. And it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty and in many respects. So that’s something that has to be factored in. I think there should probably be conditions on that aid.
“That’s my personal view. We’ll see what the consensus is. I haven’t had a chance to socialize that with any of the members over the weekend, because we’ve all been very busy, but it’ll be part of the discussion for sure.”
Johnson’s comments align with longtime criticism on the right of California’s Democratic leadership. At the end of the year, Congress passed a $100 billion disaster relief package, including money to address the devastation from hurricanes Helene and Milton, which impacted the southeastern United States, including North Carolina and Florida. That package did not come with conditions that mandated that state government change policy.
President-elect Donald Trump has blasted California Governor Gavin Newsom as “incompetent” for his handling of the state’s fire risk. Newsom has invited Trump to tour the devastation but has received no response. But in an interview with Meet the Press, he said that Trump has spread falsehoods about the fires.
“That mis- and disinformation I don’t think advantages or aids any of us,” Newsom said. “Responding to Donald Trump’s insults, we would spend another month. I’m very familiar with them. Every elected official that he disagrees with is very familiar with them.”
President Joe Biden has said that, over the next 180 days, the federal government would cover 100% of the costs for the initial recovery efforts, for things like debris removal and temporary shelters. But given the magnitude of the devastation, it’s likely that federal emergency relief will need to be replenished.
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