Republican congressman under fire after calling for halt to disaster relief amid L.A. fire nightmare
Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson has faced fierce opposition by insisting that federal disaster aid should not be sent to California until the state’s forestry management policies change.
“There’s no doubt we need to solve the fire problem, but the problem in California is forestry management,” the Make America Great Again politician told Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo on Friday’s show. “All of these things they do make it easier for fires to spread, spread and become larger.”
“If they want the money, then they have to change their policies,” he continued. “I mean, we support people who are suffering from disasters, but we have to put pressure on California to change its policies.”
More than 180,000 Los Angeles County residents have been displaced and at least 11 people have died since wildfires first broke out in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.
Davidson’s suggestion to stop providing relief to California immediately sparked criticism online, with numerous X users commenting below a post He wrote to further argue his point.
“I swear to God, the next time there is a disaster in Ohio, I will do everything in my power to make sure our politicians don’t vote for you a dime. Anti-American POS,” one user wrote on the platform.
Another chimed in, “Republicans are really trying to blame everything except addressing the elephant in the room – climate change.”
Another user wrote: “Can you imagine if the Democrats were just a little bit whispery about Florida or Texas?”
The fires have become a political talking point, with President-elect Donald Trump largely blaming California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for “gross incompetence and mismanagement” of fire prevention.
“One of the best and most beautiful places in the United States of America is burning down,” Trump tweeted. truth society earlier this week. “Everything is reduced to ashes and Gavin Newscomb should resign. This is all his fault!!
He added in another post, “Let this be a symbol of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newskan duo. January 20th can’t come soon enough!”
