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House Speaker Mike Johnson has confirmed that he supports placing conditions on federal disaster aid for California following the devastating wildfires, citing alleged mismanagement by state leaders and suggesting the possibility of tying the aid to a debt ceiling increase.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after the first fire broke out in Los Angeles, anger has mounted over what critics describe as California’s failure to adequately address water resource allocation, forest management, and brush clearing practices. Critics argue that restrictive environmental policies have limited efforts to clear underbrush and manage dry vegetation, which served as fuel for the rapidly spreading fires. Additionally, accusations of mismanaging water supplies have drawn scrutiny, with some claiming that state leaders have prioritized regulations over proactive disaster prevention.

What’s going on now: In response to the ongoing wildfires in California, House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for placing conditions on federal disaster aid. In a statement, Speaker Johnson said, “”Obviously there has been water resource mismanagement, 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 in many respects. So that’s something that has to be factored in. I think there should probably be conditions on that aid. That’s my personal view, we’ll see what the consensus is.” Speaker Johnson noted that he did not have the “chance to socialize that with any of the members over the weekend because we’ve all been very busy, but it’ll be part of the discussion, for sure.”
The proposal has sparked polarized reactions from both parties. Many Republicans view the move as a necessary push for accountability. Despite this, Democrats have strongly opposed the notion of conditional aid. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) warned, “If you start this, it will never end. When Dems retake the House, they will condition aid to Florida and Texas. Disaster aid must stay nonpartisan.”
This all comes as the ongoing wildfires near Los Angeles continue to devastate communities, with reports indicating that 10,000+ structures have already been destroyed and thousands more are under threat. Firefighters are struggling to contain the rapidly spreading flames, fueled by dry vegetation and low humidity. To make matters worse, meteorologists have warned of strong winds on the horizon, which could exacerbate the fires and push them into new areas.