Still, those emergency funds will have to be replenished at some point in the not-too-distant future, when Trump is in the White House.
“There’s some very patriotic people that work for FEMA on the ground, they do their dead-level best.
But as with any organization: It’s leadership, and there is some concern about it,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)
Complicating it further, Trump is already teeing off on California Gov.
And deep blue California — where Newsom is thought to have presidential ambitions of his own — has been a favorite target.
In the aftermath of the wildfires raging across Southern California, an unprecedented disaster that has already been estimated to have caused more than $50 billion in damage in and around Los Angeles, House lawmakers are preparing for what could be a tense debate over emergency spending.
Although both parties swiftly came together in December to offer over $100 billion in emergency aid for hurricanes and other disasters, President-elect Trump will be the wild card this time around. He has already accused California Democrats of being responsible for the extent of the damage.
The debate won’t start right away. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) claims it has enough cash on hand to respond to several disasters across the nation, including the California wildfires, in the near future, but the final cost of the fires is still unknown.
When Trump takes office in the not-too-distant future, however, those emergency funds will need to be refilled. The incoming president has long accused FEMA of mismanaging funds, including last year when he made a false claim that the agency had diverted disaster aid to house migrants without permanent legal status. This is causing uncertainty. Furthermore, some Republican leaders are expressing concerns about the way FEMA runs its affairs, as they are already facing pressure from their right flank to reduce deficit spending.
On the ground, there are some extremely patriotic FEMA employees who give it their all. However, as with any organization, there are some concerns regarding the leadership of the group, according to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La). told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday.
“We’ve got so much going on right now that I honestly haven’t had a lot of time to dig into what’s happening in California,” Johnson continued. However, I’m positive I’ll receive a comprehensive brief. “.”.
Democratic leaders on the other side of the aisle, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N. Yep. declare that once the fires have been contained and the damage has been evaluated, they are ready to offer any help that is thought to be required. Also, Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma. Lawmakers will need to “wait for requests from the administration,” according to a similar statement made this week by the chair of the House Appropriations Committee. “”.
“The truth is, you have to wait until the catastrophe is over,” Cole stated. Clearly not yet, and you must allow them time to complete the estimations. Additionally, he stated that the issue is likely to “be something the Trump administration will have a lot to say about a little bit down the road.”. “.”.
Johnson stated that he has faith in the president’s final choice, but Trump has not yet announced who he wants to lead FEMA, further complicating the discussion.
“Disasters occur frequently these days, so having stable, capable individuals at the top is essential in this dangerous time. Johnson stated, “I am certain that he will appoint the appropriate individuals.”.
To make matters more complicated, Trump is already threatening California Governor. California Democrats, including Gavin Newsom (D), have claimed that their incapacity is the primary reason why the deadly fires have not been put out even days after they started.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”.
The office of Newsom retaliated by accusing Trump of staging incidents in order to gain political points.
The governor’s office wrote on the social media site X, “There is no such document as the water restoration declaration — that is pure fiction.”. The governor’s priorities are keeping firefighters well-equipped, protecting people, and avoiding political gamesmanship. “”.
The clash is not new in its tone. Trump has regularly attacked his political rivals with natural disasters. Deep blue California, where Newsom is believed to have his own presidential aspirations, has also been a popular target.
The extent to which Trump’s infamous penchant for retaliation and his feud with Newsom will impact the congressional debate over wildfire aid is still unknown.
Steve Scalise (R-La) is the House Majority Leader. indicated this week that Republican leaders have been anticipating a return to the emergency aid issue as part of the endeavor to prolong government funding past the expiration date of March 14. He asserted that this was the case even prior to the Los Angeles wildfires.
He told reporters Thursday, “Even the disasters and the hurricane response there — we knew there may be a second bite of that apple.”. “In the end, we were aware that the discussions regarding government funding would need to revisit that. “”.
However, in a Republican conference where conservative deficit hawks have insisted that new spending, including emergency aid, be offset by changes elsewhere in the budget, it might not be easy to attach disaster aid to a spending bill. As leaders on both sides negotiated the approximately $100 billion disaster package in December, those hard-line conservatives who opposed emergency aid without offsets are likely to cause more problems for House GOP leaders.
The discussion comes as the local fires are still burning into the weekend due to unrelenting winds that have hampered firefighters’ attempts to contain them. At least ten people have lost their lives. Over ten thousand buildings have been destroyed. Even though early estimates have been different, several estimates place the losses from the fires at over $50 billion.
Approximately three times the initial estimate made earlier this week by the weather forecasting firm, AccuWeather’s latest estimate places the total damage and economic loss between $135 billion and $150 billion. As the extent of the damage is determined, the estimate may be “revised upward, perhaps even substantially,” the company added.
DDOTC will not be responsible for all emergency response. A large portion of the cost will also be covered by private insurers and state-level assistance programs, even though the state was already experiencing a shortage of insurance due to a number of wildfires in 2017 and 2018 that hampered homeowner access and affordability.
In response to the recent wildfire tragedy, Scalise blamed California officials for the crisis, saying that their policies have made it more difficult for homeowners in the Golden State to purchase fire insurance. He is calling on state leaders to address this issue.
It sounded good at the time, but they did some very specific things in California that forced the companies to leave the state, Scalise said. “Those were terrible choices for policy. Additionally, those who decided on those policies must answer for their actions. “”.
The Hill was informed by a FEMA representative that the agency has enough money to cover California’s needs and respond to past disasters. About $27 billion was still in its disaster relief fund as of Friday.
Additionally, as response efforts continue, Newsom has been in communication with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. According to the agency, a FEMA liaison was sent to the California regional office earlier this week, and the agency has also been in close contact with state representatives.
