As deadly wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles, a Republican congressman from Texas says federal lawmakers will consider tying relief funding for California to policy changes in the state.
“California has some disastrous policies that led to mismanagement of this fire,” US Representative Michael McCaul said Monday in an interview with Bloomberg Television, alluding to the water-management system. “We’re not going to just throw money at them without trying to get something in return so this doesn’t happen again.”
McCaul’s comments align with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has called for attaching conditions to federal aid to address what he described as long-standing failures in forest and water supplies. Johnson said Monday that state and local leaders in California “were derelict in their duty,” adding that “there has been water resource mismanagement, forest management mistakes, all sorts of problems, and it does come down to leadership.”
At least 24 people have died and thousands of structures have been destroyed in wildfires that have burned more than 40,000 acres over the past week, as firefighters continue to battle multiple blazes across the Los Angeles area.
President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have also criticized California’s fire-prevention efforts. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, sent the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power a letter last week calling for a review of why hydrants in fire zones repeatedly ran low on water.
Newsom acknowledged in his letter that fire hydrants aren’t designed to fight fires over large areas. He also pointed to a reservoir that according to the Los Angeles Times had been closed for repairs when the fires struck, calling the lack of water “deeply troubling to me and to the community.”
Trump is also likely to weigh using money as a bargaining tool to force foreign governments to support his immigration crackdown, McCaul said. For example, the president-elect could use tariffs to push the Mexican government to resume taking in asylum seekers while they await hearings in the US.
Increased duties would hurt the Texas economy, McCaul warned.
“Mexico is our largest trading partner, and so massive tariffs, if they go into effect, would have a very negative impact on the state,” he said.
Musk has weighed in on policy debates ranging from immigration to technology and will help lead a Department of Government Efficiency. His opinions about the federal budget and H1-B visas have frustrated some Republicans, but he remains a force in Congress.
“For better or for worse, he’s there,” McCaul said. “I think his voice will be as strong and as loud as Trump allows it to be.”
Photo: A firefighting helicopter drops water on hotspots during the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California, US, on Sunday, Jan. 12. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg
Topics California Texas Wildfire Legislation
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.