Los Angeles continues to burn, with numerous unprecedented wildfires occurring. And some Republicans see an opportunity to fix the problem and punish liberals by withholding critical aid.
At a press conference in September, Trump suggested that as president he might deny wildfire aid to California unless the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, acquiesces to his policy demands. He said if Newsom doesn’t get back on his feet, “we won’t give him the money to put out all the fires.”
“And if we don’t give him the funds to put out the fires, he’s going to have a problem,” Trump added. It was a clear threat.
As the fires rage, Trump and his allies (including Elon Musk) have waged a dubious misinformation war against Newsom, blaming the governor and liberals more broadly for the ongoing tragedy. They are spreading propaganda that is not based on facts. And amid this conspiratorial blame game, Republicans are open to the possibility of withholding critical aid.
Among them is far-right activist Charlie Kirk. As Media Matters noted, Kirk said Tuesday that Fire Chief Christine Crowley, the city of Los Angeles’ first openly gay fire chief, will try to blame the fire on diversity measures. He said President Trump should withhold aid unless Fire Chief Christine Crowley, who is hated by bigots, is fired.
“And in a few weeks, when California comes crawling for federal aid, Trump should say, ‘Look, we’re not going to give you a dime unless you fire Christine, who’s a lesbian,'” Kirk said. said.
And amid this conspiratorial blame game, Republicans are open to the possibility of withholding critical aid.
Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson said in an interview on FOX Business on Friday that disaster relief should be conditional on policy changes in California. “If they want the money, there has to be a consequence that they have to change their policies,” he said, baselessly claiming that state officials are adopting policies that “make the problem even worse.” did.
There is no evidence that the fires were caused or exacerbated by California’s policies. In fact, given the Republican Party’s refusal to properly consider reality, there is a certain amount of responsibility for what is happening in California, such as Mr. Davidson’s Republican Party, which bows to big oil. I would argue that this is a party that is ignorant about climate change. A climate-related disaster.
But the unfounded belief that local or statewide mismanagement is to blame is becoming an excuse for Republicans to contemplate denying aid to California.
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris told Newsmax that funding for wildfire relief is not a priority for Republicans, saying, “We just pumped more money into FEMA before we left for Christmas break.” The Maryland Republican Party claimed that Los Angeles “responded disproportionately.” The fire department is in such bad shape that it should shoulder some of the burden of rebuilding. ”
In a time of crisis, the Republican Party is giving Americans, especially those living in Los Angeles, a taste of the vengeful overt political action they can expect from the Republican Party for years to come.
