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How reduce federal spending – and how much – is now consuming Republicans in Congress.
Firestorms are burning Southern California. But a political storm is about to scorch Capitol Hill.
The dynamics of natural disasters have turned into a routine financial nightmare in Congress. And frankly, the way lawmakers deal with natural disasters creates a hyperbarrier to serious deficit and national debt reduction.
Expect staggering costs.
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Destroyed cars remain in a river after flooding caused by Hurricane Helen about a month ago in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 30, 2024. (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s going to be a very expensive event,” predicted Rep. George Whitesides, D-Calif.
FEMA is gearing up for the price tag.
“We know it’s going to be in the billions,” FEMA Administrator Deanna Criswell said.
President Biden promises help.
“We will pay for it. And we must be ready to pay for it,” the President said. “We will need the United States Congress to follow through on appropriations to help provide meaningful assistance to our fellow Americans who need that assistance.”
Catastrophic natural disasters are now sweeping through different neighborhoods of the United States at an alarming rate. Devastating forest fires drove around Maui in 2023. Tornado outbreaks are the norm. Power outages due to heat – or blizzards combined with cool weather – black out the power grid. Twin hurricanes Milton and Helen swept through the South last year, destroying property within days of each other in the fall. Water poured out of rivers, streams, steams, streams and water pipes, flooding entire communities.
Congress coughed $100 billion before Christmas for hurricane relief. Some of that money went to help people rebuild their businesses or cover recovery costs. Of that, $27 billion went to reboot FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to prepare for future emergencies like the one currently burning through the Golden State. Milton and Helen drained the DRF.
The fallout from the wildfires in Los Angeles could be a fiscal nightmare for lawmakers as the new Congress tries to tackle America’s growing 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 started the fires — Republicans may not want to help. This is especially true since the Republican mantra is to cut $2 trillion in spending. In fact, there is a fear among some Democrats that Republicans in Congress and President-elect Trump may try to punish California — because it leans left.
Republicans now control the House of Representatives and the 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 divisions when natural disasters strike.
“California has voted to support additional hurricane packages for the American South. And now is our time,” Whitesides said.
Several Northern California Republicans told Fox that Southern California Democrats have been extremely 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. Benny Thompson, R-D., the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees FEMA.
Members of Congress visit the disaster area of the Altadena wildfire 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 have blamed the wildfires on — and retaliated against — the liberal Democrats who govern much of California.
“This is an epic disaster of mismanagement,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told FOX Business.
“What happened in California because of (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom (D) and the legislature there.”
“What we’re seeing is a failure of policy there and a failure of leadership in California,” Sen. Bill Hagerty, D-Tennessee, said on Fox. “We need real responsibility. We need hearings to understand… to understand what is going on. What were the failures.”
California insurers have canceled hundreds of thousands of policies for homeowners in wildfire-prone areas after state regulators banned higher premiums — despite the danger. Some Republicans have seized on the issue.
“California made some very bad policy decisions that caused these insurance companies to flee,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Rep. “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 that would help guarantee water to all Californians when they turn on the faucet while he was in the state legislature.
NEWSOM FIRE FIRE FACT CHECK SITE GIANT DEM FUNDRAISER LINKS
“Why didn’t they have water? Is it negligence or just the fact that there were so many fires in different areas all over the city that the system was overloaded and overwhelmed?” – asked Gomez.
Other Democrats rebuked the GOP leaders’ criticism of California.
“I think the whole thing is just ridiculous,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. “I think the governor on the ground is doing a great job leading the response. I don’t think we should blame anyone.”
The cost of the fires likely means Congress will demand another infusion of money for FEMA — just as Republicans begin cutting 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 combine any big spending with cuts on the other side,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.
“To be clear, if this bill works for California, some conservatives want to see some offsets?” asked your Burchett.
A photo of the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington on October 8, 2024. in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“Absolutely,” Burchett replied.
Wildfires would be a major problem if Congress hadn’t appropriated over $100 billion just for FEMA and various disasters in the bill before Christmas. However, some Republicans are skeptical of FEMA’s competence to do the job.
“I doubt the people of California will get the $700 they were promised. Because, as it happened in North Carolina, in Tennessee, many people were denied because all their IDs were burned or washed away. it’s all going to burn, it’s just going to be a cluster,” Burchett predicted.
Florida’s former emergency director issued an ominous warning.
“I have bad news for everyone. Disasters are looming everywhere,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, R-Fla., noted on MSNBC.
More disasters mean more demand for aid. That’s a problem when Republicans try to cut spending.
A few wise souls on Capitol Hill set about developing a new model eliminate natural disasters. The current budget model is appropriations assuming NOTHING happens. Then it is sometimes difficult for legislators to pass a bill that provides for additional assistance.
So there were two monster hurricanes in the fall. Now there are forest fires. what next? An earthquake? Blizzards? Ice storms? Tornado? Drought? Floods?
There is debate over creating a “rainy day fund”—perhaps a “monsoon day fund”—that Congress can use to funnel large chunks of money without worry when natural disasters strike.
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Other natural disasters are inevitable.
But congressional funding to cover costs is far from it.
