CAC Blasts Donald Trump’s Plan to Deny Aid to Americans Suffering California Wildfires, Eliminate FEMA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2025
Contact: Gabrielle Levy, Glevy@cacampaign.org, (562) 673-697
CAC’s Margie Alt Blasts Donald Trump’s Plan to Deny Aid to Americans Suffering California Wildfires, Eliminate FEMA
WASHINGTON–With climate change-driven wildfires still burning in the Los Angeles area, President Trump is heading out west today to survey the damage. Simultaneously, he is threatening to withhold aid to Los Angeles unless the state of California changes its water management policy and adopts a voter ID requirement (California already requires photo ID to register to vote), and to eliminate the federal government’s role in responding to disasters. The following statement is from Margie Alt, director of the Climate Action Campaign:
“The people of Los Angeles are suffering. They need and deserve help. Wildfires fueled by high winds and climate-change-fueled drought have destroyed 12,000 homes and killed 27 people in the area so far. Rather than playing the traditional presidential role of ‘comforter in chief,’ Donald Trump’s visit to the area is performative, using the tragedy to advance his personal agenda: changing state water management policy to help his Los Angeles private golf club. Trump’s threat to withhold disaster aid to benefit his golf club seems, unfortunately, to be par for the course when it comes to his presidency. But the people of Los Angeles deserve better, and quickly.
“Wildfires like these will only get worse and more frequent if we don’t address the climate crisis that is intensifying these disasters and other extreme weather including flooding, extreme heat, drought and more that we are experiencing across the U.S. and the world. It is unconscionable to threaten to withdraw federal support to Americans suffering the effects of this crisis because of where they live or whom they may have voted for. The climate crisis won’t spare anyone. The only acceptable course of action for Trump and the Republican majority in Congress is to stop playing politics with people’s lives. They must ensure that FEMA has the resources it needs, and need to stop cutting programs designed to help mitigate climate pollution and pushing for more of the fossil fuels responsible for making this crisis worse."
About the Climate Action Campaign
Climate Action Campaign (CAC) is a vibrant coalition of advocacy organizations working together to drive ambitious, durable federal action to cut carbon pollution, address the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Our goal is to reduce carbon pollution and accelerate the transition to clean energy through policies focused on climate, justice, and jobs and expanding opportunity for all.
