President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that “states should take matters into their own hands” rather than rely on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help recover after natural disasters.
President Trump spoke with Fox News host Sean Hannity in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday following his inauguration and plans for executive action to overhaul the federal government. The president spoke about the Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes, saying the massive damage and calls for federal assistance showed there were problems at FEMA while also mulling unspecified changes to the agency.
“Los Angeles is going to need a lot of money, and a lot of people on the other side want that to happen, so they will say that Los Angeles has changed everything,” Trump said. “FEMA has not been doing its job for four years. You know, I think FEMA was doing a really good job. There was a hurricane in Florida and a tornado in Alabama. But without a certain type of leadership, it gets in the way.”
“And FEMA is going to be a big discussion soon. Because I want to see the states solve their own problems,” the president continued.
Some senior Republicans, including Trump, have said federal aid to California should be conditional, sparking attacks on local Democrats and the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom (D). But it’s unclear whether these plans will gain traction across Republicans, who hold a slim majority in Congress.
Trump’s comments come as another massive wildfire threatens homes in Los Angeles County. The fast-moving Hughes Fire broke out Wednesday morning and quickly expanded to more than 9,000 acres.
About 50,000 people were under evacuation orders or warnings due to the fire.
President Trump said he believes California should get “nothing” until local officials pump water from the northern part of the state to help put out the fires. This statement is based on a false claim because Los Angeles does not depend on water from Northern California.
President Trump is scheduled to visit the state in the coming days to survey the damage caused by the wildfires.
