How cutting federal spending – and how much – are Republicans in Congress currently consuming.
Firestorms ravage Southern California. But a political firestorm is about to scorch Capitol Hill.
The dynamics of natural disasters have turned into a regular budget nightmare in Congress. And frankly, the way lawmakers handle natural disasters creates a hyper-obstacle to making a serious dent in the budget deficit and national debt.
Expect staggering costs.
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Destroyed cars remain in a river after 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 expensive event,” predicts Rep. George Whitesides, D-Calif.
FEMA is bracing itself for the price tag.
“We know it’s billions,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
President Biden vows help.
“We’re going to pay for it. And we have to be willing to pay for it,” the president said. “We need the United States Congress to act on appropriations to provide significant relief to our fellow Americans who need it.”
Catastrophic natural disasters are now ravaging various parts of the US at an alarming rate. Devastating forest fires swept across Maui in 2023. Tornado outbreaks are the norm. Power outages due to the heat – or snowstorms in combination with freezing cold – dim the electricity grid. Twin hurricanes Milton and Helene tore through the South last year, destroying property just a few days apart in the fall. Water gushed from rivers, creeks, steam streams, streams and culverts, flooding entire communities.
Congress coughed up $100 billion just before Christmas to help victims recover from the hurricanes. Some of that money went to helping people restart their businesses or cover rebuilding costs. $27 billion of that went to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to prepare for future emergencies – like the one now torching the Golden State. Milton and Helene cleared the DRF.
The aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires could become a fiscal nightmare for lawmakers as the new Congress tries to tackle the growing U.S. national debt.
But Republicans now control 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. That’s especially true since the Republicans’ mantra is to cut spending by $2 trillion. Some Democrats even worry that Republicans in Congress and President-elect Trump will try to punish California because the country is leaning left.
Republicans now control the House and Senate. Mr. Trump takes office next week.
“When it comes to congressional funding, the idea that we’re going to have an open checkbook no matter how bad your policies are is insane,” Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, said on FOX Business.
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Democrats warned of division between parties and regions when natural disasters strike.
“California has voted to support additional hurricane relief packages in the American South. And now this is our time of need,” Whitesides said.
Several Northern California Republicans told Fox that Southern California Democrats were exceptionally helpful in pushing through relief for their part of the state after wildfires.
So what happens when the bill for the Los Angeles wildfires comes due?
“We are helping all Americans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, which 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 liberal Democrats who govern much of California.
“It’s an epic disaster of mismanagement,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said on FOX Business.
“What is what happened in California is the fault of (California Governor) 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 have to have hearings to understand … to get to the bottom of what’s happening. What the failures have been.”
California insurers have dropped 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 has made some very poor policy decisions that have caused insurance companies to flee,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. “The people who made these policy decisions must also be held accountable.”
Even some Democrats questioned the local response.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., worked on a bill to help guarantee water for all Californians when they turn on the tap when he was 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 breaking out all over the city in so many different areas that the system was pushed to its limits and overwhelmed?” Gomez asked.
Other Democrats rebuked the Republican Party’s criticism of California’s leaders.
“I think this is all just ridiculous,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. “I think the governor on the ground is doing a great job managing the response. I don’t think we should be blaming anyone.”
The cost of the fires likely means that Congress will have to re-fund FEMA — just as Republicans are beginning to try to cut billions, if not more than a trillion dollars. How can lawmakers pay for natural disasters – and still cut all this money?
“It’s always going to be difficult. I think we just have to prioritize. And I think we have to couple big spending with cuts on the other side,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.
“So just to be clear, if California has to pay that bill, do some conservatives want to see some compensation?” the undersigned asked Burchett.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Washington headquarters is photographed in Washington, DC on October 8, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“Absolutely,” Burchett replied.
The wildfires would have been a major problem if Congress had not provided more than $100 billion to FEMA alone before Christmas and included several disasters in the bill. Still, some Republicans are skeptical of FEMA’s competence to do the job.
“I doubt Californians will get the $700 they were promised. Because like in North Carolina and Tennessee, many people were turned away because all their IDs were burned or washed away. And there it will all burn up. It will just be a cluster,” Burchett predicted.
Florida’s former statewide emergency management director issued an ominous warning.
“I have bad news for everyone. Disasters are happening everywhere,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., noted on MSNBC.
More disasters means an additional demand for help. That’s the challenge as Republicans try to make cuts.
A few wise souls on Capitol Hill have been working to develop a new model tackling natural disasters. The current budget model consists of fund appropriations under the premise that NOTHING will happen. Then it is sometimes challenging for lawmakers to pass a bill that provides additional help.
So there were two huge hurricanes in the fall. Forest fires now. What’s next? An earthquake? Snow storms? Ice storms? Tornadoes? Drought? Floods?
There has been discussion about creating a “rainy day fund” – perhaps a “monsoon day fund” – that Congress could tap to send large chunks of money without any hassle when natural disasters occur.
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Other natural disasters are inevitable.
But congressional funding to cover the costs is far from that.
