‘I think there should be conditions on that aid’: Mike Johnson wants ‘conditions’ on California’s disaster aid amid wildfires
As California continues fighting devastating wildfires ravaging the Greater Los Angeles Area, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says that disaster aid to the Democratic state should come with “conditions.”
Johnson’s proposal is unprecedented, as disaster relief has always been nonpartisan. Politics shouldn’t have a place when it comes to saving lives or rebuilding parts of America ravaged by natural disasters. Following last year’s devastating hurricane season, the Biden and Harris administrations approved almost $2 billion in aid for those impacted by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene, including hundreds of millions for repairs and property replacement. There was no talk of “conditions” for this aid to hard-hit states like Florida or Tennessee because they’re Republican states.
Unfortunately, Republicans have been working overtime to politicize the wildfires in California. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their supporters have fostered the widespread circulation of misinformation on the disaster. Their misinformation and insistence that California is to blame for the natural disaster are clearly politically motivated. The state will likely need to re-evaluate its wildfire prevention measures, but it’s a gross simplification and assumption to blame the devastation solely on poor leadership. Additionally, allegations of poor leadership and lack of preparation frequently arise regarding disasters, including in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, but that still isn’t used as an excuse to make aid conditional. Yet, Johnson confirmed he’s already considering obstacles to California’s aid.
Mike Johnson wants to make aid to California conditional
Johnson shocked America when he confirmed his desire to put conditions on California’s aid. It’s difficult to comprehend how this is on his mind when the fires in California are still uncontained and the death toll, which is at 24, could continue rising. Yet, speaking to the press on January 13th, he stated, “I think there should probably be conditions on that aid. That’s my personal view.” He noted that he hadn’t had a chance to discuss his ideas with his fellow House members or gauge the “consensus,” but he promised “it’ll be part of the discussion.”
Johnson went on to claim that alleged poor leadership and mismanagement would have to be considered when determining aid. He explained, “Obviously, there has been water resource management, forest management, mistakes, all sorts of problems, and it does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty, and in many respects. So, that’s something that has to be factored in.” He also floated an idea to tie aid to California to the debt limit increase. Johnson and other House MAGA members are intent on increasing the debt limit, given it’s one of Trump’s requests. So, they’re considering pressuring Democrats to vote in favor of the debt limit in order to pass aid to California by tying the two together.
It’s unclear if the increased debt limit is part of the “conditions” Johnson is talking about, as he did not expand on or clarify what he meant by making aid conditional. Other Republican politicians have suggested the aid will be conditional on California changing things to ensure it’s better prepared for wildfires. Given how highly politicized the fires have become, though, there’s reason to fear that Republicans will try to make aid conditional based on political concessions. After all, Republicans haven’t been using fact-based evidence to back up the targets of their blame for the fires. Several Republicans have bizarrely claimed that DEI is to blame for the fires. So, it’s not difficult to see these conditions quickly becoming about things they dislike rather than things necessary for fire prevention, such as, for example, forcing the state to roll back its DEI initiatives or policies to protect endangered species.
Johnson’s statement raises deep concerns about whether California will get the help it needs. While Biden has promised aid to the state, his time in office is running out, and it’s not hard to see Trump’s administration promoting Johnson’s ideas of conditions. In their desperation to penalize California for its progressive policies, Republicans may very well usher in a dangerous and dystopian era of politicizing disaster aid.
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