The political fire that will sing on Capitol Hill

How to cut federal spending — and by how much — now consumes congressional Republicans.

Fires are burning in Southern California. But a political firestorm is about to engulf Capitol Hill.

Natural disaster volatility has turned into a regular fiscal nightmare in Congress. And to be honest, the way lawmakers deal with natural disasters poses a serious obstacle to a serious crisis in the deficit and national debt.

Expect surprise expenses.

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“This is going to be a very expensive event,” said Rep. George Whiteside, D-Calif.

FMA is preparing for the price tag.

“We know it’s going to be billions,” FEMA Administrator Dean Criswell said.

President Biden is pledging aid.

“We will pay for it. We must be prepared to pay,” the president said. “We want to pursue the United States Congress to help us provide this important assistance to our fellow Americans who need it.”

Terrible natural disasters now strike various parts of the US at an alarming rate. In the year In 2023, a devastating wildfire swept across Maui. Tornado outbreaks are common. Black spots from heat — or storms with bone-chilling cold — can blackout the power grid. The twin hurricanes of Milton and Helen spun through the South last year, chewing up property on days apart in the fall. Water flowed from rivers, streams, steams, rivers and sewers, inundating entire communities.

Congress appropriated $100 billion before Christmas to help hurricane victims recover. Some of the money went to help people restart their businesses or cover rebuilding costs. About $27 billion went to reload FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to prepare for future emergencies — like the one that’s burning down the Golden State right now. Milton and Helen exhaust DRF.

But now Republicans control Congress. President-elect Trump recently took over the Oval Office. And when it comes to California — and what fueled the fire — Republicans may be willing to help. That’s especially true since the mantra from Republicans is to cut $2 trillion in spending. In fact, there is concern among some Democrats that congressional Republicans and President-elect Trump may try to punish California — because it leans left.

Republicans now control the House and Senate. Mr Trump will take office next week.

“The idea that we’re going to have an open checkbook when it comes to funding Congress, no matter how bad your policies are,” Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, said on Fox Business.

Trump reportedly plans to issue about 100 executive orders after taking office.

Democrats caution against partisan and regional conflicts when natural disasters occur.

“California voted to support additional packages for hurricanes in the American South. And now this is our crisis,” Whitesides said.

Several Northern California Republicans told Fox that Democrats from Southern California have been particularly helpful in muscle-in aid for their part of the state since the wildfires.

So what happens when the bill comes due to the Los Angeles wildfires?

“We help all Americans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees FEMA.

Thompson was confident that Congress would meet California’s needs.

“If we want to do more, we will,” Thompson said.

Some Republicans have blamed the wildfires — and the response — on liberal Democrats who run much of California.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., on Fox Business.

“what is What happened in California is the fault of (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom (D) and the legislature there.”

“What we see there is a failure of policy and a failure of leadership in California,” said Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., on Fox. “We have to have real accountability. We have to have hearings to understand … to understand what’s going on. What the failures are.”

California insurers have paid out hundreds of thousands of homeowners’ policies in wildfire-prone areas — after state regulators banned higher premiums — despite the risks. In this case, some Republicans were caught.

“California made some bad policy decisions that drove those insurance companies away,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “The people who made those policy decisions should be held accountable.”

Even some Democrats questioned the local response.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., has drafted a bill to help all Californians with water security when they turn on the spigot while serving in the state legislature.

Newsom data verification site for fire response links to party fundraiser giant

Why didn’t they get water? Is it negligence or is it that the system is being pushed to capacity and overwhelmed due to the number of fires in different areas of the city? Gomez asked.

Other Democrats rebuked the GOP’s criticism of California leaders.

“I think this is all ridiculous,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. “I think the governor is doing a good job of leading the response on the ground. I don’t think we should blame anyone.”

The cost of the fire will require Congress to provide another source of funding for the FEMA — just as Republicans have begun seeking to cut billions to no more than a trillion dollars. How can lawmakers pay for natural disasters — and yet reduce all this money?

“It’s always going to be tough. I think we have to prioritize. And I think we have to balance any major spending with cuts on the other side,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.

“So to be clear, when that fee comes up in California, do some conservatives want to see some offsets?” He really asked Bershet.

“Absolutely,” Burchett replied.

The wildfires would have been a big deal if Congress hadn’t appropriated more than $100 billion for FEMA and other disaster relief before Christmas. However, some Republicans question FEMA’s ability to do the job.

“I doubt the people of California will get the $700 they were promised. Because in North Carolina, Tennessee, a lot of people have been turned away because all their IDs have been burned or washed. And there it will all be burned and just piled up.”

Florida’s former statewide emergency management director issued a dire warning.

“I have bad news for everybody. Disasters are coming everywhere,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said on MSNBC.

More accidents mean more need for help. That’s the challenge as Republicans try to cut spending.

A few wise souls on Capitol Hill are busy developing a new model for dealing with natural disasters. The current budget model is funded on the premise that nothing happens. Then, it can sometimes be a challenge for lawmakers to pass legislation that provides additional assistance.

So there were two monster storms in the fall. Wildfire now. What’s next? An earthquake? Hurricanes? Snow storms? Hurricanes? Drought? flood?

A “Rainy Day Fund”—perhaps a “Rainy Day Fund”—has been argued to allow Congress to send major emergency aid in the event of natural disasters.

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Other natural disasters are inevitable.

But congressional funding to cover the cost is far from over.