Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) called for conditions to be attached to federal aid for wildfires ravaging Southern California, after President Donald Trump indicated he wanted conditions on wildfire aid. He said it was not.
The districts Chu represents include Altadena and northern Pasadena, both of which were affected by the deadly Eaton Fire.
“Never in American history have conditions been placed on disaster relief,” Chu told Inside California Politics.
“I know that red states voted for disaster relief and blue states voted for disaster relief,” she continued. “I never thought about whether they were Republicans or Democrats. And let me tell you, wildfires have no politics. They don't have a party.”
President Trump meets with California residents, fire and law enforcement officials to see first-hand damage caused by wildfires in Los Angeles
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., at the Eaton Fire press conference at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, on January 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
This comes after President Trump said Friday that California must meet two conditions before the federal government provides disaster aid. He said he wants lawmakers to approve the voter identification bill, which should allow water to flow into the state.
“I want to get two things done in Los Angeles: Voter ID, giving people the opportunity to vote, and water being released and flowing into Los Angeles and throughout the state,” Trump told reporters upstate. he said. This happened while I was inspecting hurricane recovery efforts in the Carolinas. “Those two. Then I'll be the greatest president California has ever seen.”
President Trump visited Los Angeles late Friday to tour wildfire damage and meet with local officials and residents.
U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tour a fire-affected area in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California, on January 24, 2025. (Mandel Gann/AFP via Getty Images)
Mr. Chu said he wants President Trump to tell the working-class victims in his district that they can receive help to resolve their devastation only if they qualify.
“I want him to see how everyday Americans are devastated and I want their voices to be heard,” Chu said. “In fact, we want them to look the victim in the eye and say that we will not help them without conditions.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) responded to President Trump's comments on conditional aid. The governor's office notes that some other states, including the one Trump won, typically do not require identification to vote, and Californians will be required to show identification to register to vote. He said that Newsom's office also said the state is pumping as much water as possible based on policies from President Trump's first term.
Los Angeles officials release estimates of economic impact from deadly wildfires as inferno still rages
A view of homes destroyed in the Eaton Fire on January 9, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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“It is wrong to condition aid on Americans,” Newsom's office said in a statement.
Congressional Republicans have proposed tying wildfire aid to raising the debt ceiling or changing California's fire mitigation policies, but Democrats oppose putting conditions on federal aid to Southern California.
