Republicans want to prevent wildfires. But GOP leaders are making it hard to get disaster aid

David Lightman, McClatchy Washington Bureau on Jan 22, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON — Southern California has been devastated by unprecedented wildfires that have sent tens of thousands fleeing from their homes and 27 people dead — and while the worst danger appears to have passed, blazes are still raging.

A continent away, Congress is engaged in a political, very public brawl over how to help pay the billions of dollars that will be needed to restore and rebuild. Republican leaders insist that before California can get sorely-needed disaster aid for wildfire victims, there will be conditions attached.

But quietly, Republicans and Democrats are also moving ahead to help in other ways. Some Republicans are working closely and amiably with Democrats on several bills aimed at helping firefighters and improving forest management.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Reps. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., have teamed up to push the “Fix our Forests Act,” that would expedite environmental analyses and the pace and scale of forest restoration projects.

The bill “gives forest managers the tools they need to conduct their work, and promotes scientifically backed land management methods that have been practiced by Native communities for centuries,” Peters said.

A vote is expected later this week, and the bill would require no additional spending.

Senate wildfire bills

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and a team of Democrats and Republicans are behind three bills aimed at curbing wildfires. None is dependent on new federal money.

They include:

▪ New pay policies for wildfire fighters. They would be allowed to avoid any pay cuts and could be better paid.

They would also receive additional money if they respond to “certain prolonged fire incidents, including those like the Southern California fires that are not contained within 36 hours.”

▪ More federal ability to provide fire prevention funding. This bill would give the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) more flexibility to use its fire prevention grants to take action before fires occur by providing more tools to fight fires.

▪ Housing. This measure would “expedite, expand, and improve temporary housing available to victims of disasters like wildfires and storms,” according to the office of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a sponsor.

Government agencies would create a five-year experimental program to establish who could provide the housing, and determine what sort of house, would be available. Government aid could also go beyond home repair and replacement to include closing costs involved in the purchase of new homes in certain cases..

It’s not clear when this legislation could reach the Senate floor.

Aid with strings

While those bills appear to be getting little resistance, the effort to provide tens of billion of dollars of disaster aid to California has become a popular Republican target.

California has long been popular quarry for President Donald Trump, and now that the state’s clout has been dramatically diminished in Congress, GOP leaders there are increasingly critical.

California in the last two years has lost Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, who was Speaker in 2023. Its 52-member House delegation has nine Republicans. Both its senators are junior member Democrats in a chamber run by Republicans.

The second ranking Senate Republican, John Barrasso of Wyoming, told colleagues in a Senate floor speech that “We’ve seen massive mismanagement and gross incompetence by the Democrat leaders in California. That must change.”

He introduced legislation that takes steps to improve forest management, and said “It should be attached to any disaster relief that goes to California.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also said he wants conditions tied to aid.

He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he understands the need for disaster relief — after all, he’s from Louisiana — ”but then there’s also human error, and when the state and local officials make foolish policy decisions that make the disaster exponentially worse, we need to factor that in, and I think that’s a common sense notion.”

Trump has also made similar points. During his inaugural address Monday, the president said “We are watching fires still tragically burned from weeks ago without even a token of defense.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom responded by posting photos on X of firefighters battling the blazes. Trump is expected to visit the area Friday.

Congress almost always ultimately approves aid for areas desperately in need, and lawmakers whose states have experienced the need were more circumspect.

Asked if there should be conditions attached to California aid, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said, “It’ll be a decision Congress makes but I’m confident we will see very significant disaster aid in California. What’s happening there is horrific.”

Democrats see the matter much more simply.

“Mother Nature doesn’t distinguish between red states and blue states. And neither should our disaster response efforts,” said Padilla.

_____