Trump denies, then approves, California's request for wildfire relief aid
In an appeal for federal aid, Calif. Gov. Newsom asserted infrastructure damage estimates for 2020 fires exceeded $229 million.
President Trump reversed his decision to deny California’s request for federal aid in response to the devastating wildfires the state has suffered this season, now the worst in history.
After consecutive record-breaking loss years, the 2020 season has already brought the most heat yet, producing five of the now six largest wildfires in California history.
This season has broken another major record, as well. With September’s Glass and Zogg fires, which collectively burned over 120,000 acres, California’s annual burned acreage total surpassed 4 million. According to Cal Fire, no other year on record has surpassed 2 million acres.
In response to the year’s overwhelming fire season, on September 28, California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested financial aid from the federal government.
In a letter to the Trump administration, Newsom outlined the wildfires’ financial impact, stating that infrastructure damage estimates exceeded $229 million. As a result, Newsom asserted that “federal assistance is critical to support physical and economic recovery of California and its communities.”
Trump rejected the request on Friday (Oct. 16) to the surprise of many, given the magnitude of the destruction sustained. White House officials defended the decision, saying California’s request for a major disaster declaration was rejected because it was “not supported by the relevant data.” In a statement Friday, deputy press secretary Judd Deere highlighted other areas the federal government had provided assistance to California during its historic fire season.
However, just days after aids defended Trump’s decision, he reversed it.
The quick flip-flop came after the president spoke with Gov. Newsom and Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), according to The New York Times, with the White House saying the men “presented a convincing case” for the state receiving the aid.
The disaster relief aid covers six major wildfires that scorched more than 1.8 million acres, destroyed thousands of structures and caused at least three deaths last month.
In total, more than 8,500 wildfires have burned well over 4.1 million acres across the state in the 2020 wildfire season, according to Cal Fire. Thirty-one people died as a result of the wildfires, and more than 9,200 structures have been destroyed.
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