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The House is headed for a contentious debate on California disaster aid as many, but not all, Republicans call for conditions on the assistance, an idea Democrats reject with firmness

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday threw his support behind the stipulations on aid designed to help California recover from historically devastating wildfires, while accusing local officials of of poor management of water resources and forests. He reiterated that position Tuesday, and many Republicans, including some in the Golden State, echo that sentiment.

“There will have to be conditions,” Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), who represents the San Joaquin Valley in central and northern California, told The Hill. “We cannot allow the policies that have created the conditions for such a disaster to continue. There’s an old saying, “You can’t fill a broken bucket by pouring more water into it.” At some point you have to fix the bucket.”

Democrats, however, are shooting down that prospect, arguing that the conversation about California’s policies should be separate from any discussion of assistance to those in need.

“We can have a long debate and discussion and use the committee process to have discussions about the steps that California has taken to protect itself. But at the end of the day, that’s going to mean disaster relief, and that has to be free of partisanship,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, the top California Democrat on Capitol Hill, said Tuesday.

The emerging discussion comes as wildfires are still raging in California and winds that could worsen conditions are expected to pick up in the coming days. Some lawmakers say the wildfires are on track to be the costliest and most damaging natural disaster in U.S. history.

Republicans have not reached a public agreement on what conditions should be included in the aid package: At least one is calling for policy changes at the local level, some want the legislation paid for and others have proposed tying a debt limit increased attendance.

“In my view, we need to get a pound of meat for every dollar spent in California,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (RSC), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Asked by The Hill on Tuesday what stipulations he is considering, Johnson replied “I’m not going to project what that might be,” before taking aim at state officials, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

“If Gavin Newsom and local leaders made decisions that made this disaster exponentially worse, which it appears there were, should there be any consequences? Should there be some sort of safeguard on funding?” Johnson said. “We’re going to look at policies, and we’re going to look at culpability, and I think that’s going to be a very important thing, not just for Congress, but for the American people.”

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a 22-year House veteran who represents San Diego, made a similar note, saying that “no one has made any sense about the conditions, but we’re looking at everything related to this incredible and disastrous and harmful fire.”

“We want prevention to be included in the power to heal,” he added. “Because just paying for the consequences of the fire, or a portion of them, is not enough when you look and say, ‘What is going to change California?’ Or the change of federal government?’”

Some lawmakers, however, are suggesting ideas.

McClintock, the California Republican, said he wants to see “policy reforms to ensure that land management practices that minimize these fires are put back into place,” while members of the Freedom Caucus, including its chairman, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) — are calling for the aid to be offset.

“If we do more disaster relief, it should be paid, and it should be paid in full, and conditions should definitely be placed on California,” he said.

Then there’s talk of sticking a debt-ceiling increase in California’s disaster aid instead of the sweeping GOP-led reconciliation package, an idea floated over the weekend when House Republicans met with President-elect Trump. Such a move, which Johnson confirmed is in the mix, would embolden California Democrats to vote against disaster aid because of their opposition to the debt limit game.

While many Republicans, including some in California, have supported the idea of ​​putting conditions on disaster aid, the proposal does not have unanimous GOP support. Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), for example, raised concerns about disaster relief conditions during a House GOP leadership meeting Monday, a source told The Hill.

Valadao, who represents parts of the Central Valley, said that while he is not a staunch supporter of many California policies, he recognizes that some of the issues at stake occur on federal land and that Congress could rectify some of the causes , the source said.

He also said lawmakers need to be aware of the fact that wildfires have significantly affected the lives of Californians.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) told The Hill “I think there should be safeguards to make sure the money gets to the victims,” ​​adding, “I’m not going to be happy with anything that interferes with this”. However, he did not use the word “conditions” when pressed on Johnson’s comments.

“My word is safeguards. We must have guarantees to ensure that the funds reach the people who need it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he was “not sure” whether conditions should be placed on the aid, citing the need to help Californians in need while also take note of criticism of local policies.

“California needs to change its policies. They care about fish and not people,” Bacon said. “You can’t put fish before people’s lives and property.”

The comments were an apparent reference to Trump’s recent claim that Newsom did not sign a so-called “water restoration statement,” which the governor’s office has said does not exist.

In his first administration, Trump issued a proposal that sought to redirect water from Northern California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to the agriculture-rich Central Valley. California officials eventually filed suit against the federal government, challenging the order on the grounds that more pumping would harm fish protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Although the debate over disaster relief is already heating up, Congress is not expected to take up the issue for some time, because the fires are still burning, estimates will have to be made a once turned off and then an official request for aid will be made. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has also said it “has sufficient funding” to support several recovery efforts, including those in California.

Democrats, however, are slamming Republicans for the mere suggestion that conditions should be placed on disaster relief, accusing them of playing politics in the midst of a devastating disaster.

“It’s outrageous that President Johnson would try to attach conditions to this disaster relief or to tie disaster aid to unrelated concepts like the debt ceiling,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “We should not take advantage of the pain and suffering of our fellow Americans to try to force policy changes.”

Johnson, for his part, denies any political motivation.

“We’re going to look at this very honestly,” Johnson said Tuesday. “And he is not a politician. We need to do the right thing for the people at a time when our fiscal house needs to be put back in order.”

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