Trump budget request omits funds for L.A. fire relief, prompting criticism from senators
WASHINGTON— California’s two Democratic senators criticized the Trump administration on Thursday for requesting $87.6 billion from Congress to meet some of the nation’s most “urgent needs” but failing to provide funds for victims of last year’s Los Angeles fires.
“Donald Trump’s desire to punish Los Angeles and the state of California for not voting for him means once again thousands of Angelinos watch this administration fight for everything but them, their businesses, and their communities,” Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff said in a joint statement.
“These fires did not discriminate between parties or political preferences, and neither should this administration,” they added.
The omission is the latest tension in a year-long dispute between California leaders and the Trump administration over federal disaster aid and comes after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Executive Kathryn Barger met with President Trump in the Oval Office in April to plead for funds.
At the meeting, Trump signaled his commitment to working with local officials to assist disaster recovery efforts. Officials asked for $16 billion to be split between the city and county. The bulk of the money will consist of payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency flagged for communities affected by the fires, part of a request for $33.9 billion in wildfire relief funds by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Although two months have passed, these talks have not yet yielded the results that local leaders expected.
The budget request submitted Wednesday by the Office of Management and Budget seeks mostly funding for the Pentagon to cover costs related to the Iran war. It also includes $11.1 billion in economic aid to American farmers, $1.4 billion to respond to the Ebola virus outbreak in Central Africa, $500 million to support “ongoing efforts to complete restoration and construction projects” in the nation’s capital, and $1 billion to boost pensions for General Motors workers cut as a result of the automaker’s bankruptcy.
“I urge Congress to act on these important and urgent requests as quickly as possible,” White House budget director Russell Vought said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Vought said the administration is open to discussing “additional assistance for other urgent matters.” The White House did not immediately respond when asked why Eaton and Palisades disaster relief funds were not mentioned in the budget request.
State leaders, including Newsom, have repeatedly accused the Trump administration of blocking billions of dollars in wildfire aid. The governor visited Washington in December and pressed for funding with lawmakers, including three lawmakers who serve on the Senate and House appropriations committees.
The governor also attempted to meet with FEMA on the issue but said his request was denied. Newsom, Trump’s political foe, did not say whether he had tried to meet with Trump to talk about recovery efforts.
