California Leaders Oppose Conditional Federal Aid for Wildfire Victims
Santa Clarita, California resident Mark Viniello details the ongoing battle against raging wildfires and comments on the state's recovery efforts on 'Fox Report.'
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., stated that she does not believe conditions should be placed on federal support for wildfires sweeping through Southern California, following President Donald Trump's suggestion that he wanted wildfire aid to be conditional.
The district Chu represents includes Altadena and northern Pasadena, which have been affected by the deadly Eaton Fire.
"There have never been conditions laid on disaster aid in the history of America," Chu told Inside California Politics.
"I know that I have voted for disaster aid in red states and for blue states," she continued. "I've never considered whether they were Republican or Democrat. And let me say, wildfires have no political affiliations. They don't have a political party."
Trump had remarked on Friday that two conditions must be met in California before the federal government offers disaster relief. He stated he wants lawmakers to approve voter identification legislation and that water needs to flow across the state.
"I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state," Trump told reporters during a hurricane recovery tour in North Carolina. "Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen."
Later on Friday, Trump visited Los Angeles to assess damage from the wildfires and meet with local officials and residents.
Chu emphasized her desire for Trump to inform the working-class victims in her district that they would only receive aid if there were conditions attached.
"I want him to see how these everyday Americans are being terribly devastated and also I want him to hear from their voices," Chu stated. "I want him to look, in fact, into the victims' eyes and say that he wouldn't provide aid unless there were conditions."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Trump's comments regarding conditional aid. The governor's office noted that several other states, including some won by Trump, do not generally require voter identification at polling places, while California residents must provide identification when registering to vote. Newsom's office also mentioned that the state pumps as much water as it can under policies from Trump's first term.
"Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong," Newsom's office stated on X.
Republicans in Congress have proposed tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase or adjustments to California's fire-mitigation policies, though Democrats have voiced opposition to placing conditions on federal assistance for Southern California.
