Newsom requests further federal aid for L.A. wildfires in “very productive” meeting with Trump

During an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke on the critical need for federal assistance as Los Angeles County recovers from a series of devastating wildfires in January.

“As we approach one month since the devastating wildfires across Southern California, we continue to cut red tape to speed up recovery and clean up efforts as well as ensure rebuilding efforts are swift,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement. “We’re working across the aisle, as we always have, to ensure survivors have the resources and support they need. Thank you President Trump for coming to our communities to see this first hand, and meeting with me today to continue our joint efforts to support people impacted.”

Following two different meetings on Capitol Hill, Newsom joined Trump at the White House in a closed door meeting, which he called “very productive” as he discussed the need for “unconditional disaster aid” for wildfire survivors, according to a statement released by his office. 

Their meeting comes just weeks after Trump visited Los Angeles to tour the devastation left behind by the Eaton and Palisades Fires, which killed more than two dozen people and razed thousands of L.A. County homes to the ground in early January. 

Newsom’s statement says that at that time, he first raised the critical need for support from the federal government to help families as they begin to rebuild.

“The Governor expressed his appreciation for the Trump Administration’s early collaboration and specifically thanked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for his agency’s swift action, including over 1,000 personnel on the ground focused on debris removal,” the statement said. 

While on Capitol Hill, they met with members of the California Delegation, which included Representatives Ken Calvert, Judy Chu, Doug LaMalfa, Brad Sherman and George Whitesides, to similarly discuss the importance of securing further federal disaster relief for survivors of the fires.

Following that meeting, Newsom then met with members of Senate to discuss the same matter. Leaders involved in that meeting included California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock and Washington Senator Patty Murray.

Newsom was joined by Wade Crowfoot, the secretary of the state’s Natural Resources Agency, at Wednesday’s series of meetings.