Communities across Los Angeles County were burned in a series of wildfires on Wednesday, a crisis that underscored the vast differences between the incoming and outgoing presidents and their relationships with California.
Standing next to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom at a firehouse in Santa Monica, President Biden pledged sweeping federal support to the state.
“We’re ready to do whatever it takes to contain the fire,” Biden said.
Read more: Report from the scene: Los Angeles County fire kills 2, destroys more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures
Hours earlier, Republican President-elect Donald Trump, just days away from being sworn in on January 20, blamed “Newskam and his team in Los Angeles” for the disaster.
Trump posted on the social media site “Truth Social” that the Democratic governor “refused to sign the water restoration declaration,” which he claimed would cause millions of gallons of rain and snowmelt to flow south toward the fire areas.
“The ultimate price is being paid now,” Trump wrote. “I will demand that this incompetent governor allows beautiful, clean, fresh water to flow into California!”
As communities burned and thousands fled their homes, the president-elect’s morning letter echoed his earlier threat to withhold wildfire funding if Newsom refuses to comply with Trump’s water policies for California. However, water experts say Trump’s water proposals may face significant obstacles and that his attempts to link water supplies to firefighting responses are inaccurate.
Read more: Los Angeles County fire kills at least 5; more than 1,000 buildings damaged
While Newsom praised Trump during Trump’s first term for approving federal disaster relief funds for wildfires, the governor has since said he had to “kiss the ring” to convince Trump to help.
Newsom praised Biden for not playing political games during the disaster.
“I can’t express enough the appreciation and cooperation we have from the White House and this administration,” Newsom said Wednesday in Santa Monica.
The president has broad discretion over disaster aid, and the future could be in jeopardy if Trump follows through on his threats after taking office.
California and other states receive most of their federal wildfire aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which includes direct payments and services to homeowners and renters whose properties have been damaged, as well as public assistance for search and rescue teams, debris removal and infrastructure repairs. .
States need to demonstrate that the severity and scale of the incident are such that the response exceeds the state’s capabilities to qualify. The governor must request, and the president must declare, a major disaster and then approve any assistance the governor requests.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determines whether a federal disaster declaration is necessary and makes recommendations to the president. Presidents have followed this advice in the past, but there is nothing in the law requiring them to do so.
Read more: Can Trump really cut off aid to California wildfires? Absolutely
Trump reportedly initially refused to approve federal aid for the 2018 California wildfires until National Security Council staff showed him the large number of voters in Orange County who supported him. Politico.
In another example, in 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied requests for assistance to California for six wildfires. The next day, after Republicans appealed to Trump and the governor and the president spoke by phone, they reversed their stance.
Democratic state Sen. Ben Allen, who lived and grew up in Santa Monica, attended Wednesday’s briefing with the president and governor. Allen said it’s clear from Newsom’s comments since the fires that the governor is concerned about federal support for disasters under the Trump administration. Allen said Biden’s response was swift and thorough. But he said he couldn’t imagine Trump ignoring Californians in any time of need.
“I fully expect the new administration to be able to provide assistance in this time of vulnerability for our fellow Americans,” Allen said. “That’s what every White House in history has done, whether Democratic or Republican. There’s no reason they can’t continue to provide the same level of assistance that previous presidents have Same level of assistance and service.
Despite Trump’s fiery rhetoric, he did travel to California as president to survey fire damage and meet with Newsom. In 2018, Trump visited Paradise after one of the state’s deadliest wildfires. He met with Newsom in Sacramento after a series of wildfires in 2020.
During the president-elect’s first term, Newsom and Trump have traded barbs on social media, the news media and in the courts, but have remained friendly in text messages, phone calls and even in-person interactions. But the relationship appears to have soured during Biden’s presidency.
Newsom said Trump did not respond to a call he made in November to congratulate the incoming president on his election win. An aide to Newsom said the two have not yet spoken.
On Wednesday, the president-elect continued to blame Newsom for the fires: “As of now, Gavin Newsom and his Los Angeles crew have zero percent containment of the fires. The fires are burning even more Last night.
Trump also attacked Biden.
“There’s no water in the fire hydrants and no money from FEMA,” he wrote. “This is what Joe Biden left me. Thanks Joe!”
Peter Gleick, a hydroclimatologist and senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in Oakland, said Trump’s attempts to link California water policy to the water supply problems faced by firefighters in Southern California are “blatantly wrong, irresponsible and politically inappropriate.” It’s selfish.”
“Southern California does not have a water shortage problem – the state’s reservoirs are at or above the levels typically expected this time of year. The fire water supply problem is entirely due to the large direct demand for firefighting water, broken or damaged pipes and pumps, Homeowners left hoses and sprinklers running in hopes of saving the property.
Staff writer Ian James contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
