In the middle of a destructive wildfire season in Los Angeles, California, President Donald Trump has proposed withholding federal emergency assistance. The raging fires have resulted in extensive damage and displaced thousands of people in the region.
Trump made these comments during an extensive interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday, January 22. He criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) performance, suggesting that states should manage their own disaster recovery efforts. “FEMA has not done their job for the last four years… I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” Trump stated.
The Hughes fire in Los Angeles County has already devoured more than 9,000 acres. The disaster led to at least 16 fatalities, forced approximately 150,000 people to evacuate, and resulted in the loss of over 12,000 structures. The insured damage is estimated at approximately $28 billion, with additional uninsured losses still being evaluated.
Trump argued that federal aid should be suspended until California permits water to flow from its northern regions to assist in combating the fires. “I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down,” he said during the interview. He specifically mentioned the endangered delta smelt, raising questions about the species’ survival without water flow.
However, experts have refuted these claims, noting that Los Angeles does not depend on water from Northern California. The city mainly relies on water from the Owens Valley and the Colorado River. Fire officials have stated that a lack of water is not hindering firefighting efforts, as high winds and dry conditions primarily drive the fires.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office dismissed Trump’s suggestion of a “water restoration declaration,” branding it as “pure fiction.” The governor accused Trump of spreading misinformation about the wildfires, saying that “connecting the delta smelt to this fire is inexcusable because it’s inaccurate.”
While Trump has threatened to withhold federal aid, experts indicate that such a move would face considerable hurdles. FEMA has roughly $27 billion in its Disaster Relief Fund, following Congress’ approval of $29 billion in new funding in December. The agency’s procedures are geared to provide immediate aid during disasters. Trump’s assertion that Biden left him “NO MONEY IN FEMA” was disproven by these figures.
However, securing long-term recovery funding could be problematic. House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested that supplemental aid through the Department of Housing and Urban Development could be contingent on California implementing policy changes. Without this added funding, the state’s reconstruction efforts could be severely hampered. The main concern revolves around Congressional approval of long-term housing and recovery funds through HUD.
Los Angeles fire officials have reported infrastructure constraints during the firefighting efforts, but these issues were related to the municipal water systems being overtaxed, not state water policies. The scale of the disaster has tested the fire department’s response capacity, with multiple neighborhoods needing simultaneous emergency response.
