Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said Sunday on CBS's “Face the Nation” that funding from Congress for wildfire assistance in Southern California “has strings attached.”
A partial transcription follows:
MARGARET BRENNAN: We have a busy week ahead in the Senate, but before we get into it, I want to ask you about the California fires. Is Congress expected to need to provide additional aid, and if so, when will it be provided?
Barrasso: What we're seeing is heartbreaking and terrifying, and it's affecting people, young and old, rich and poor. The entire Wyoming National Guard is on scene providing support with personnel and equipment. When you watch what's being shown on TV, in addition to the tragedy on the ground, you're also witnessing gross mismanagement by California's elected officials, with the fire chief saying they misappropriated all this money. It's heartbreaking to hear that it came from the fire department to be used in social programs when social programs were already stretched too thin. Yes, I believe there will be public hearings and a request from Congress. However, you cannot leave a blank check on this. Because people want to make sure that as we rebuild and as things move forward in California, we have to be resilient so that something like this never happens again. And I believe the Liberal government's policies have made these fires even worse.
BRENNAN: But do you expect Congress and the Republican Party to help Americans in need, even if they don't like local politics within the party?
Barrasso: I expect there will be conditions on the money that is ultimately approved, but it has to do with preparing for the next time, because this time it was a huge failure.
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