Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Addresses Aid Conditions

Date: Monday

Location: Washington

Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that Congress should impose conditions on aid for Los Angeles communities affected by recent wildfires. He claimed that state and local officials in predominantly Democratic California have poorly managed the state’s water resources and forests, saying, “It appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty in many respects. So that’s something that has to be factored in.”

Johnson expressed that his thoughts on aid conditions were personal and that discussions on disaster aid for California were not yet widespread among House Republicans. A closed-door meeting is set for Tuesday morning to discuss this further.

The wildfires have resulted in at least 24 casualties, over 90,000 individuals under evacuation orders, and the destruction of thousands of homes and businesses, burning an area equivalent to Washington over the past week.