How to cut federal spending, and by how much, is currently consuming the minds of congressional Republicans.
A firestorm is scorching Southern California. But a political conflagration is about to consume the Capitol.
The dynamics of a natural disaster have morphed into a regular fiscal nightmare in Congress. And frankly, the way lawmakers respond to natural disasters is a huge impediment to seriously reducing the budget deficit and national debt.
Expect staggering costs.
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A destroyed car remains in a river after flooding caused by Hurricane Helen about a month earlier in Asheville, North Carolina, on Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo provided by: YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is going to be a very expensive event,” predicted California Democratic Rep. George Whiteside.
FEMA is wary of the price tag.
“We know this is going to be in the billions of dollars,” FEMA Administrator DeAnne Criswell said.
President Biden has promised support.
“We’re going to pay for it, and we have to be ready to pay for it,” the president said. “We need Congress to follow up on the budget to provide significant assistance to our fellow citizens in need.”
Catastrophic natural disasters are currently hitting different regions of the United States at an alarming rate. In 2023, a devastating wildfire occurred on Maui. Tornado outbreaks are commonplace. Heat-induced power outages or bone-chilling cold and snowstorms darken the power grid. Last year, dual hurricanes Milton and Helen passed through the south, devouring land just a few days apart in the fall. Water overflowed from rivers, streams, steams, streams, and culverts, submerging entire communities.
Congress released $100 billion just before Christmas to help hurricane victims recover. Some of that money went to help people restart their businesses and cover the costs of rebuilding. $27 billion of that was put back into FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to prepare for future emergencies like the one currently burning through the Golden State. Milton and Helen ejected the DRF.
The fallout from the Los Angeles wildfires could pose a financial nightmare for lawmakers as the new Congress tries to deal with America’s growing national debt.
But Republicans now run Congress. President-elect Trump will soon occupy the Oval Office. And when it comes to California and the states that may have started the fires, Republicans may be reluctant to help. Especially since the Republican slogan is $2 trillion in spending cuts. Indeed, there are concerns among some Democrats that Congressional Republicans and President-elect Trump may seek to punish California. Because California leans to the left.
Republicans currently control the House and Senate. Trump will be inaugurated next week.
“When it comes to Congressional funding, the idea of opening up the checkbook, no matter how bad the policy, is crazy,” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) said on FOX Business.
Trump reportedly plans to issue about 100 executive orders after taking office.
Democrats warned against partisan and regional discord when natural disasters occur.
“California has voted to support a supplemental hurricane package for the American South, and now is our time,” Whiteside said.
Several Northern California Republicans told Fox that Southern California Democrats have been very cooperative in providing aid to parts of the state after the wildfires.
So what happens when Los Angeles wildfire claims come due?
“We are helping all Americans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees FEMA.
Members of Congress tour wildfire-affected areas in Altadena on January 11, 2025 (Derek Schock, Fox News Digital)
Thompson was confident that Congress would meet California’s needs.
“If we need to do more, we will,” Thompson said.
Some Republicans blamed the wildfires and their response on the liberal Democrats who govern much of California.
“This is a disaster of mismanagement,” Rep. Byron Donald, R-Florida, said on FOX Business.
“What happened in California is the fault of (California Governor) Gavin Newsom (D) and the state Legislature.”
“What we’re seeing is a failure of policy there and a failure of leadership in the state of California,” Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) said on Fox. “We’re going to have to have real accountability. We’re going to have to have public hearings to understand what’s going on. What’s going on and what went wrong.”
California insurers have canceled hundreds of thousands of policies for homeowners in wildfire-prone areas after state regulators barred them from raising premiums despite the dangers. . Some Republicans took note of the issue.
“California made some very bad policy decisions that caused insurance companies to flee,” said House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana). “The people who made these policy decisions must also be held accountable.”
Some Democrats also had doubts about the local response.
While he was a state representative, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., worked on a bill that guaranteed every Californian water when they turned on the tap.
NEWSOM Fact-checking site about fire response Links to major Democratic Party fundraisers
“Why was there no water? Is it negligence or is it just the fact that there are so many fires in different areas of the city that the system has reached its limits and reached its limits? ” asked Gomez.
Other Democrats condemned Republican criticism of California leaders.
“I think it’s completely ridiculous,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. “I think the governor is doing a great job managing the response on the ground. I don’t think we should blame anyone.”
The cost of the fires will likely mean a request for more funding from Congress for FEMA, just as Republicans are starting to consider billions of dollars in cuts, if not more than $1 trillion. How can lawmakers pay for natural disasters and still cut all this funding?
“There’s always going to be a challenge. I think you have to prioritize, and I think the big spending needs to be paired with cuts on the other side,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). said.
“Let me be clear: When that bill expires in California, are some conservatives looking for some sort of offset?” I asked Burchett for real.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Headquarters in Washington, DC on October 8, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“Of course,” Burchett replied.
Wildfires would have become a major problem if Congress hadn’t poured more than $100 billion into FEMA and various disaster bills before Christmas. But some Republicans are skeptical of FEMA’s ability to accomplish its mission.
“I don’t believe Californians will receive the $700 they were promised because, as happened in North Carolina and Tennessee, many people have been cut off because all their IDs have been burned or washed away. It’s all going to burn out, it’s going to be just a cluster,” Burchett predicted.
Florida’s former statewide emergency management director issued an ominous warning.
“I have bad news for you: Disasters are happening everywhere,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, said on MSNBC.
More disasters mean more demand for relief. This comes as Republicans aim to cut spending.
A few wise souls on Capitol Hill have been working on developing new models for dealing with natural disasters. The current budget model allocates funds on the assumption that nothing will happen. In that case, it may be difficult for lawmakers to pass legislation that provides additional support.
As a result, there were two monster hurricanes in the fall. There’s a forest fire now. What’s next? earthquake? A blizzard? Ice storm? tornado? Drought? flood?
There is talk of creating a ‘Rainy Day Fund’, perhaps a ‘Monsoon Day Fund’, to which Congress could easily transfer large sums of money in the event of a natural disaster.
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Other natural disasters are also inevitable.
But Congressional funding to cover the cost is far from that.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior Congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC.
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