Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has echoed the sentiment of others in the Republican Party saying any federal aid for the fires in Los Angles should come with conditions so that funds are properly used to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Speaking to NPR’s "Morning Edition", Johnson said that "it is Congress’ place to instruct" California "as to what to do on a state and local level, with forest management, with building codes, with whatever it might be."
As of Wednesday, the two main fires ravaging Los Angeles, those from the cities of Palisades and Eaton, have consumed more than 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures, killed at least 24 people, and forced almost 200,000 others to evacuate their homes.
Early estimates with multiple fires still raging have put the damages at more than $250 billion. Johnson is concerned that over the decades federal disaster relief coupled with California laws have made it "very unattractive for private insurers to come in and actually insure their properties and assess the risk properly. They've encouraged people to build multimillion, billion-dollar homes and complexes in very vulnerable areas."
Johnson said California used to do proper fire mitigation efforts, such as allowing livestock to graze and auctioning off forests to allow lumber companies to clear dead wood. "Now it’s back to 4.5 million" burned acres per year, compared to an average 250,000 burned acres.
"We have to get people to assess and take on the risks themselves," Johnson told NPR's Steve Inskeep. "I think what has happened over the decades here with federal disaster relief is that more and more individuals, more and more states are just relying on the federal government."
California Rep. Tom McClintock agreed with his fellow Republican telling The Bulwark, "Well, I think it would be a mistake to grant money to the very same people responsible for the policies that have produced this disaster." When asked why he would support conditions for residents of his own state, he said being a Californian "makes me one of the victims of these policies."
The threats from some in the GOP back up President-elect Trump’s promise during the 2024 campaign during a speech at Coachella saying, "We’re going to take care of your water situation, and we’ll force it down his throat," Trump said of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. "And we’ll say: Gavin, if you don’t do it, we’re not giving you any of that fire money that we send you all the time for all the fire, the forest fires that you have."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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