Tying L.A. fires to climate change, Biden pledges full federal aid: ‘We’re not going anywhere’
- Biden tied the devastating fires to a warming planet and said the nation needs to recognize that “climate change is real.”
- Although Biden pledged federal funding for the next 180 days, he has only 11 more days in office. President-elect Donald Trump has blasted California leaders for their handling of the fires.
WASHINGTON — President Biden pledged Thursday that the federal government will cover 100% of disaster assistance costs to California for the next 180 days and emphatically tied the devastating wildfires to human-caused climate change.
Biden referenced a phrase from the poem “Easter, 1916” by poet William Butler Yeats, who wrote, “All changed, changed utterly: / A terrible beauty is born.”
“All has changed in the weather. Climate change is real,” Biden said. “We’ve got to adjust to it, and we can, it’s within our power to do it. But we’ve got to acknowledge it.”
After meeting with Gov. Gavin Newsom on a trip to Los Angeles on Wednesday, Biden approved his request for a presidential major disaster declaration, which opens up avenues for increased federal funding.
Biden said his pledge for 100% federal funding came in response to a request from Newsom on Thursday, upping federal assistance from the usual 75%. Though he did not specify how the funding will be rolled out, Biden said he had approved funding through fire management grants and a disaster declaration, which will pay for things such as clearing debris, removing hazardous materials and paying first-responder salaries.
“I told the governor and local officials, spare no expense to contain these fires,” Biden said, sitting at a long table in the White House, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and other federal agency leaders. “We’re doing literally everything we can at the federal level.”
Addressing Southern Californians, he added, “We are with you. We’re not going anywhere.”
The president said he is “surging all federal resources possible to Southern California,” including 400 additional federal firefighters and more than 30 firefighting helicopters and planes. He said Canada also is providing firefighting aircraft.
Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the military will soon be deployed. The California National Guard will have about 1,000 service members available beginning Friday, according to Brown.
Biden urged those affected by what he described as “the worst fires to ever hit Los Angeles” to contact disasterassistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362.
Harris, whose home in the Brentwood neighborhood has been threatened by the wildfires, called the scenes in Southern California “apocalyptic.”
“What we are seeing is a situation that is extremely dynamic, it is very much in play and, to some degree, unpredictable — because we are literally waiting to see which way the wind blows,” the vice president said.
“As the Californian at the table,” Harris said, looking around the room, “we’re beyond the point of calling it fire season. ... We’re seeing that it doesn’t matter what month of the year, we should be ready.”
U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, who also attended the White House event, echoed Harris’ remarks. “Every year we prepare for the Santa Ana winds. It’s just that, what is happening now is happening sooner … where we normally are at our lowest point in the fire year,” Moore said. “And the fact these fires are taking place now, it says that there are things that are going on in our climate that is creating truly year-round fire situations, and it’s something that we all have to be mindful of.”
Five people have died, but officials say the death toll is likely to be higher. More than 9,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders. Experts say L.A. is not out of danger yet and these fires have the potential to be the costliest wildfire disaster in American history.
Both the president and vice president thanked firefighters and first responders. “You are heroes,” Biden said.
Biden was in Los Angeles on Wednesday for a previously scheduled visit. While in the area, he met with Newsom and fire officials, assuring them that California would receive federal funding and support for ending the wildfires.
“We’re prepared to do anything and everything for as long as it takes to contain these fires,” Biden said at a Santa Monica fire station Wednesday.
White House officials already had an eye on the long recovery to come. After containment, they said, the priorities will be removing hazardous items such as propane tanks, then ash and other debris before starting to rebuild.
But belying Biden’s promise for long-term help is the reality that he leaves office in less than two weeks. Asked by a reporter whether he expected California would continue to receive aid under the next administration, Biden responded, “I’m not in a position to answer that question. I pray to God they will.”
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday blasted Biden, as well as Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, for their leadership during the devastating fires.
“I think Gavin is largely incompetent, and I think the mayor is largely incompetent. And probably both of them are just stone cold incompetent, what they’ve done is terrible,” Trump said at a news conference, adding, “I think it’s one of the great catastrophes in the history of our country, not even believable.”
Those looking to assist residents affected by the Los Angeles County firestorm have a number of options to donate money, materials or their time.
Biden, meanwhile, said he would call on Congress to provide further funding for disaster relief.
“They have to step up when we ask for more help,” he said.
But future funding from Congress faces more political headwinds, as the newly elected House and Senate are led by Republicans who are not too charitable to California. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) laid the blame on Newsom and Bass for poor water and forest management, posting Thursday afternoon on X, “It’s impossible to ignore the feckless leadership in the state.” He also skewered Bass for her trip to Ghana, which took her away from the city when the fire broke out.
Biden spoke about the L.A. fires with some personal experience. On Wednesday, the president said that his son Hunter, who has a house in Malibu, received a notification that his home had probably burned to the ground. The Daily Mail reported Thursday that the home had been destroyed.
“This is really, really, really difficult for the families to have to deal with,” Biden said at the Thursday news conference. “People are going, ‘When do I get back? Will I ever find that picture album? Will I ever find the jewelry that my mom, my grandmom gave me?’ I mean, there’s so much anxiety that’s generated.”
The president canceled a planned trip to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis so that he could focus on the fire response instead.
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