The Republican congressman from Ohio has threatened to issue a federal disaster to California unless the state reforms forest management practices that some blame for the rapid spread of Tuesday’s wind-fueled fires. He asked that relief be withheld.
Warren Davidson told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Friday that California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling on authorities to respond to the fires that have killed thousands of people and destroyed thousands of homes. This came amid calls to avoid politicization.
Davidson’s comments came as disaster relief for California is included in a spending bill that Congress needs to pass by March to prevent a government shutdown.
Davidson pointed to the American Rescue Act of 2025, passed in December, to provide relief to areas affected by hurricanes Milton and Helen, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. It pointed out that it had donated $110 billion to disaster relief. Other disaster-affected areas are also included.
He said Congress would “need to deal with fires,” just as it did with the last hurricane, “but…if we want the money, we’re going to have to change our policies around forest management. should occur,” he said.
“So we are helping people suffering from disaster, but we have to put pressure on the California government to reverse course here.”
The politicization of the Los Angeles fires began as soon as the fires broke out, and shows signs of intensifying in the aftermath. Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated for a second term as president on January 20, also cited state guidance for “gross mismanagement” of forests after wildfires devastated Malibu and Paradise, Calif., in 2018. He agreed with Mr.
At the time, Newsom defended California’s wildfire prevention efforts while criticizing the federal government for not doing enough to protect the state. “You don’t believe in climate change. You are exempt from this conversation,” Newsom told Trump in a post about X.
President Trump recently accused the Democratic-controlled state of withholding water from northern California to Southern California as part of an environmental effort to protect the small Delta smelt, hampering the state’s fire response efforts. blamed environmental activists.
But on Friday, Newsom sought to temporarily put the controversy aside, asking President Trump to visit fire-stricken areas and talk to first responders, firefighters and “Americans” affected by the disaster. I invited him to meet me.
“In the spirit of this great nation, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom said in a letter to Trump on Friday. “Hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been forced from their homes and whose futures are uncertain deserve to see all of us work to put their best interests first and ensure rapid recovery and rebuilding. there is.”
But hours later, Newsom amplified his critical comments about Trump in an interview with Pod Save America, denying Trump’s claims that he was withholding water to save endangered fish. He criticized the message as a “delusion” and “a consistent belief of Mr. Trump going back many years.” And over the years, it’s been reinforced many times within the right wing…and it’s completely ignorant. ”
Newsom said there are legitimate concerns that President Trump will try to withhold federal relief funds from California. “He’s done it in the past. It’s not just here in California,” he said, pointing to previous efforts in Puerto Rico, Utah, Connecticut and Georgia. “This rhetoric is very familiar and increasingly serious, and clearly we all have reason to be concerned.”
Newsom added that Trump’s claims about state water projects and Delta Smelt are “a salad, a mist of shape and substance, a hoax, a delusion.”
Newsom said President Trump’s claims were “some kind of indelible misinformation, falsehoods that he’s exposed, and he’s decided to carry that into this crisis in a very humiliating and harmful way.” he added.
Joe Biden has already approved a disaster declaration for the Southern California fires, committing the federal government to fully cover the cost of fire management and debris removal for six months. But with only days left in President Biden’s term, any federal recovery aid California will receive will soon be in the hands of President Trump and a Congress controlled by his fellow Republicans.
Newsom thanked Biden, a fellow Democrat, for “authorizing the major disaster declaration.” In a letter to Trump, Newsom wrote that Biden’s actions “strongly demonstrate the partnership California needs and values with all federal governments,” Newsom wrote in a letter to Trump, according to Politico.
“However,” Newsom added, “the threat to life and property remains serious. Winds are expected to be above normal at 70 mph in the coming days, with drier conditions expected early next week.” There is no change and more extreme winds are likely.”
According to Politico, an anonymous Trump official downplayed the idea of withholding aid from the nation.
