House Democrat Confronts Trump For Saying He’d Make Wildfire Relief Conditional: ‘Don’t Punish’
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) questioned President Donald Trump during a press conference in Pacific Palisades about making federal aid for wildfire victims in California dependent on certain conditions.
Sherman said he would never want federal help for a Republican-majority state facing a disaster to depend on whether its voters supported abortion. He criticized the idea of tying aid to political issues.
Earlier that day, Trump suggested he would release federal funds if California agreed to store more water and adopt voter ID laws. After visiting the damage caused by the Palisades fire, Trump met with First Lady Melania Trump, local officials, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
During the meeting, Trump invited questions, and Sherman responded:
“Mr. President, thanks for visiting. Many people here don’t have enough insurance because their policies were dropped. One company canceled 600 policies in just six months. The damage here is 16 times worse than in Hawaii, so I hope we get 16 times the federal funds for the rebuilding program.
You’ve criticized California’s policies, but I’ve been in Congress for 28 years, and I’ve disagreed with Louisiana on abortion, campaign finance, and with North Dakota on gun laws. Yet I’d never say people from those states shouldn’t get help until they agree with my views. We shouldn’t punish individuals because of their state’s policies. I hope we can get the funds without making it political.
Also, I agree with you on some tariff issues, but how about removing tariffs on building materials for three years to help with rebuilding?”
Trump responded to Sherman’s suggestion about tariffs by saying, “We’ll take a look at that, actually.”
