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how to do it cut federal spending — and how much — it consumes congressional Republicans right now.
Firestorms are raging in Southern California. But a political storm is about to rock Capitol Hill.
The dynamics of natural disasters have turned into a routine fiscal nightmare in Congress. And frankly, the way lawmakers approach natural disasters creates a hyperbarrier to seriously reducing the deficit and national debt.
Expect impressive costs.
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Destroyed cars lie in a river after flooding from 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 expensive event,” predicted Rep. George Whitesides, D-Calif.
FEMA is getting ready for the price tag.
“We know it’s going to be billions,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said.
President Biden promises help.
“We are going to pay it. And we have to be ready to pay it,” said the president. “We will need the United States Congress to follow through with appropriations to help provide meaningful relief to our fellow citizens who need that relief.”
Catastrophic natural disasters are now affecting different parts of the US at an alarming rate. Devastating forest fires razed Maui in 2023. Tornado outbreaks are the norm. Blackouts from the heat, or snowstorms coupled with freezing cold, dampen the power grid. Twin hurricanes Milton and Helene ripped through the south last year, chewing up property within days of each other in the fall. Water spilled from rivers, streams, steams, streams and sewers, submerging entire communities.
Congress coughed $100 billion just before Christmas to help hurricane victims recover. Some of that money went to help people restart their businesses or cover rebuilding costs. $27 billion went to top up FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to prepare for future emergencies, like the one now incinerating the Golden State. Milton and Helene drained the DRF.
The fallout from the Los Angeles wildfires could turn into a fiscal nightmare for lawmakers as the new Congress tries to address America’s growing national debt.
But now Republicans run Congress. President-elect Trump soon occupies 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 since the Republicans’ mantra is to cut $2 trillion in spending. Indeed, there is fear among some Democrats that Republicans in Congress and President-elect Trump will try to penalize California, because it leans to the left.
Republicans now run the House and Senate. Mr. 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 your policies are, is crazy,” Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, told FOX Business.
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Democrats warned against partisan and regional discord when natural disasters strike.
“California has voted for supplemental packages for hurricanes in the American South. And now is our time of need,” Whitesides said.
Several Northern California Republicans told Fox that Southern California Democrats were exceptionally helpful in helping their part of the state after the wildfires.
So what happens when the bill comes for the Los Angeles wildfires?
“We’re helping all Americans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee that oversees FEMA.
Members of Congress tour the wildfire zone in Altadena on January 11, 2025. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Thompson was confident that Congress would meet California’s needs.
“If we have to do more, we will,” Thompson said.
Some Republicans blamed the wildfires — and the response — on liberal Democrats who govern much of California.
“It’s an epic disaster of mismanagement,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told FOX Business.
“What is What happened in California is the fault of 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-Tennessee, told Fox. “We have to have real accountability. We have to have hearings to understand … to get to the bottom of what’s going on. What have been the failures.”
California insurers canceled 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 very bad policy decisions that sent these insurance companies into a tailspin,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “The people who made these 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 thorn when he served in the state legislature.
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“Why didn’t they have water? Is it negligence or is it just the fact that there were so many fires going on all over the city in so many different areas that the system was being pushed to the max and it overflowed?” Gomez asked.
Other Democrats rebuked the GOP’s criticism of California leaders.
“I think this whole thing is 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 anybody.”
The cost of the fires will likely mean calls for another cash infusion from Congress for FEMA, just as Republicans begin looking to cut billions, if not more than a trillion dollars. How can lawmakers pay for natural disasters and yet 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 let’s be clear, when this bill comes to California, do some conservatives want to see some tradeoffs?” he asked Burchett earnestly.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington is pictured on Oct. 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“Absolutely,” Burchett replied.
Wildfires would have been a major problem if Congress hadn’t given more than $100 billion to FEMA alone and several disasters in the bill before Christmas. However, some Republicans are skeptical about FEMA’s competence to do the job.
“I doubt the people in California will get their $700 they were promised. Because like what happened in North Carolina, in Tennessee, a lot of people were turned away because all their identification was burned or washed away. And there it’s going to be all burned up, it’s just going to be a cluster,” Burchett predicted.
Florida’s former statewide emergency management director issued an ominous warning.
“I have bad news for everybody. Disasters are coming everywhere,” Representative Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, observed on MSNBC.
More disasters mean additional demand for relief. That’s the challenge when Republicans try to cut spending.
A few wise souls on Capitol Hill have toyed with developing a new model address natural disasters. The current budget model is funding under the premise that NOTHING will happen. Then, it’s sometimes a challenge for lawmakers to pass a bill that provides additional help.
So there were two monster hurricanes in the fall. Forest fires now. what happens next An earthquake? Snow storms? Ice storms? Tornadoes? Drought? floods?
There has been some debate about creating a “rainy day fund” — perhaps a “monsoon day fund” — that Congress can tap into to send large sums of money smoothly when natural disasters strike.
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Other natural disasters are inevitable.
But congressional funding to cover the cost is far from that.
