House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Monday that he believes aid sent to California after wildfires that have devastated places around Los Angeles “should probably” have conditions.
“Obviously, there has been water resource mismanagement, forest management mistakes — all sorts of problems,” Johnson told reporters, according to a video posted to X by CNN’s Manu Raju.
“It does come down to leadership,” Johnson said, adding that it appeared state and local leaders were “derelict in their duty in many respects,” something that need to be taken into consideration.
New — Asked Speaker Johnson about placing conditions on aid to California, and he tells us: “I think there should be conditions on that aid.” Said that’s his personal view before talking with the conference.
Also says “there’s some discussion” within the House GOP about tying… pic.twitter.com/CZmjZb7WLd
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 13, 2025
“I think there should probably be conditions on that aid; that’s my personal view. We’ll see what the consensus is,” Johnson said before mentioning that it would be part of the discussion.
The speaker also acknowledged that there is “some discussion” that a debt limit increase could be linked to disaster aid, but noted “we’ll see where it goes.”
Other top Republicans have criticized leading officials in Democrat-led California, including Governor Gavin Newsom, with the blazes killing at least 24 people and causing an estimated $50 billion in damages.
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On “Fox News Sunday,” Vice President-elect JD Vance said, “There is a serious lack of competent governance in California. And I think it’s part of the reason why these fires have gotten so bad.”
And Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) told CBS News on Sunday that he expects “there will be strings attached to money that is ultimately approved,” citing the “gross failure this time.”
Raju wrote that “aid to rebuild after natural disasters often is approved without any conditions and with significant bipartisan support. But there could be a big fight over the California aid in the coming weeks.”
At least one Democrat member of Congress expressed disapproval in response to Johnson opining that aid to California should be conditional.
“This is a Mistake. If you start this, it will never end. When Dems retake the House, they will condition aid to Florida and Texas,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) said on X.
“Disaster Aid must stay non partisan,” he added. “I would fight Democrats should they try and do this. The Speaker can find many other ways to hold people accountable.”
