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As cut federal spending – and to what extent – consumes congressional Republicans right now.
Firestorms are ravaging Southern California. But a political storm is about to burn down the Capitol.
The dynamics of natural disasters have become a common fiscal nightmare in Congress. And frankly, the way lawmakers address natural disasters creates a major obstacle to seriously reducing the deficit and national debt.
Expect staggering costs.
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Destroyed cars remain in a river following flooding caused by Hurricane Helene about a month ago in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 30, 2024. (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is going to be a very costly event,” predicted Rep. George Whitesides, D-Calif.
FEMA is preparing for the price.
“We know it’s going to be billions,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
President Biden promises help.
“We are going to pay for it. And we have to be prepared to pay for it,” the president said. “We are going to need the United States Congress to follow up with appropriations to help provide meaningful relief to our fellow Americans who need this help.”
Catastrophic natural disasters are now striking different sectors of the United States at an alarming rate. Devastating forest fires It devastated Maui in 2023. Tornado outbreaks are the norm. Heat-induced blackouts (or snowstorms combined with bone-chilling cold) strain the power grid. Dual hurricanes Milton and Helene tore through the South last year, devastating properties just days apart in the fall. Water poured out of rivers, streams, creeks and sewers, submerging entire communities.
Congress coughed $100 billion just before Christmas to help victims recover from hurricanes. Some of that money went to helping people restart their businesses or cover rebuilding costs. $27 billion of it went to replenish FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to prepare for future emergencies, like the one now incinerating the Golden State. Milton and Helene exhausted the DRF.
The aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires may become a fiscal nightmare for lawmakers as the new Congress attempts to address America’s growing national debt.
But now Republicans run Congress. President-elect Trump will soon occupy the Oval Office. And when it comes to California (and what may have caused the fires), Republicans might be reluctant to help. This is especially true when Republicans’ mantra is to cut $2 trillion in spending. In fact, some Democrats fear that congressional Republicans and President-elect Trump will try to penalize California because it leans to the left.
Republicans now run the House and Senate. Mister. Trump takes office next week.
“When it comes to funding Congress, the idea that we’re going to have an open checkbook, no matter how bad their policies are, is crazy,” Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, said on FOX Business.
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Democrats warned against partisan and regional discord when natural disasters strike.
“California has voted to support supplemental hurricane packages for the southern United States. And now is our time of need,” Whitesides said.
Several Northern California Republicans told Fox that Southern California Democrats were exceptionally helpful in getting help to their part of the state after the wildfires.
So what will happen when it comes time to foot the bill for the Los Angeles wildfires?
“We help all Americans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee that oversees FEMA.
Members of Congress tour the Altadena wildfire disaster area on January 11, 2025. (Derek Shook for 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 the response — on the liberal Democrats who govern much of California.
“It’s an epic disaster of mismanagement,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said on FOX Business.
“That “What happened in California is the fault of (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom (D) and the legislature there.”
“What we can see is the failure of policy there and the failure of leadership in California,” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said on Fox. “We’re going to have to have real accountability. We need to have hearings to understand… to get to the bottom of what is happening.
California insurers rejected hundreds of thousands of policies for homeowners in wildfire-prone areas after state regulators banned higher premiums, despite the dangers. Some Republicans seized on this issue.
“California made some really bad policy decisions that caused those insurance companies to flee,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Los Angeles. “The people who made those political decisions must also be held accountable.”
Even some Democrats questioned the local response.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., worked on a bill to help ensure water for all Californians when they turn on the tap when he served in the state legislature.
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“Why didn’t they have water? Is it negligence or just the fact that there were so many fires going on throughout the city in so many different areas that the system was being pushed to its limits and became overwhelmed?” Gomez asked.
Other Democrats rebuked the GOP’s criticism of California leaders.
“I think all of that is just ridiculous,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. “I think the governor is on the ground doing a great job managing the response. I don’t think we should blame anyone.”
The cost of the fires will likely mean demands for another infusion of Congressional cash for FEMA, just as Republicans are beginning to consider cuts of billions, if not more than a trillion dollars. How can lawmakers pay for natural disasters and still cut all that money?
“It’s always going to be difficult. I think we just have to prioritize. And I think we have to match any major spending with cuts on the other side,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.
“So, to be clear, when it comes time to introduce that bill in California, do some conservatives want to see some tradeoffs?” a server asked Burchett.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington is photographed on October 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“Absolutely,” Burchett responded.
Wildfires would have been a major problem if Congress hadn’t shelled out more than $100 billion for FEMA alone and various disasters in the bill before Christmas. However, some Republicans are skeptical about FEMA’s competence to do the job.
“I doubt that the people in California will get the $700 that they are promised. Because, as happened in North Carolina, in Tennessee, many people were turned away because all their identification was burned or washed away. And there everything will be burned and will be just a cluster,” Burchett predicted.
Florida’s former state director of emergency management raised an ominous warning.
“I have bad news for everyone. Disasters are looming everywhere,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., observed on MSNBC.
More disasters mean additional demand for aid. That’s the challenge as Republicans try to cut spending.
A few wise souls on Capitol Hill have toyed with developing a new model for address natural disasters. The current budget model consists of funding appropriations under the premise that NOTHING will happen. So it’s sometimes difficult for lawmakers to pass a bill that provides additional aid.
Then there were two monster hurricanes in the fall. Forest fires now. What’s next? An earthquake? Blizzards? Ice storms? Tornadoes? Drought? Floods?
There has been debate about creating a “rainy day fund” – perhaps a “rainy day fund” – that Congress can use to dispense large amounts of money smoothly when natural disasters occur.
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Other natural disasters are inevitable.
But Congressional funding to cover the cost is far from it.
