California Dems worry Trump will make fire aid political again: ’Such a wild card’
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‘Even if we nominally secure some of these things, the money won’t flow until Trump is president,’ California Democrat warns. Some Democrats in California are concerned that President-elect Donald Trump will again politicize disaster aid amid the wildfires torching the Golden State.
Trump has placed the blame squarely on California Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming that the fault lies with his water policies in an area that has has received a scant half-inch of rain since July in the second-driest period in 150 years. The fires have destroyed large areas of Los Angeles County, and Trump has previously issued threats to withhold disaster relief funds from blue states, including California.
Congress passed disaster relief during the government funding battle last month, but some members believe they will have to do so again when the next funding deadline comes up in March. The Democrats are yet to make any bold proclamations that Trump and Republicans will block disaster aid. Some California members told Politico that they hope the Republicans will be willing to help them out.
Republican California Reps. Young Kim and Doug LaMalfa have stated that the issue should stay bipartisan. California Democrat Jimmy Panetta told the outlet: “If you kind of look at the last four years, though, under the previous Trump administration, you saw Gov. Newsom know how to handle President Trump. In the sense that, fight him where they need to fight him, but also work with them when we need things out of them.”.
