House Speaker Mike Johnson declared Monday that wildfire-stricken California should not receive a blank check from the federal government for emergency aid.
“I think we need to have a serious conversation about this,” Johnson (R-Louisiana) told reporters as the House of Representatives reconvened after a three-day weekend.
“Obviously, there was mismanagement of water resources. Mismanagement of forests – all kinds of problems. And it comes down to leadership,” the speaker explained.
“It appears to us that state and local leaders have failed in their duties in many respects. So that has to be taken into account. I think that perhaps there should be conditions on that aid. That's my personal opinion. I haven't seen what the consensus is.
Now, Congress is deciding whether to provide additional aid to the Golden State in the wake of six fires that have killed at least 24 people, destroyed thousands of structures, and caused billions of dollars in damage. Or they don't have a concrete plan for how to provide it.
Last weekend, about 20 Republican senators dined with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and called for additional wildfire aid and a debt ceiling increase ahead of a June deadline to avoid default. We discussed the possibility of linking the Politico reported.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted on Monday that there had been “some discussion” about linking additional support to raising the debt ceiling.
Many Republicans are accusing California's all-Democratic leadership of missteps before the wildfires, including Mayor Karen Bass' decision to cut the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget by $17.6 million this year.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) also predicted over the weekend that additional aid would be “conditional.”
“I expect there will be conditions on the funds that are ultimately approved, but that has to do with preparing for the next time, because this time it's a big deal,” Barrasso said Sunday on CBS' “Face the Nation.” It was a failure,” he said.
“It's heartbreaking to hear the fire chief say he diverted all this money to social programs when the fire department was already stretched thin,” Barrasso lamented.
“I expect there will be public hearings and there will be requests from Congress. There can be no blank checks on this,” Barrasso added. “This should never happen again, and I believe the Liberal government's policies have made these fires even worse.”
Lawmakers may also be inclined to wait for a more accurate estimate of the total damage caused by the wildfires.
President Biden has already approved a major disaster declaration for California and promised to provide federal aid to the distressed state.
Meanwhile, President Trump, 78, told Newsom: tender his resignation As a governor. Mr. Newsom, 57, first accused President Trump of politicizing the disaster, then invited the president-elect to come to California to see the devastation for himself.
The president-elect accused California leaders of failing to properly conserve water and remove dry debris from the state's forests, which have fueled devastating fires in the past.
