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U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson says California lawmakers should have to make policy changes to get federal disaster aid from Congress – a stance critics say hurts victims of the deadly Los Angeles fires.
The Ohio Republican, who represents the state’s 8th Congressional District, joined other Republicans in criticizing California’s mostly Democratic lawmakers’ handling of the fires on Fox News.
“People are losing their home insurance for fire because of policies that the state government is doing,” he said Friday. “If they (California lawmakers) want the money, then there should be consequences where they have to change their policies.”
California lawmakers are taking steps to address the state’s home insurance crisis. The state’s department of insurance announced new regulations last month requiring insurers to increase coverage in high-risk areas. Insurance companies will also be able to pass along reinsurance costs to customers, which California previously didn’t allow, which the state hopes will persuade companies to take on new customers in high-risk areas.
Davidson also said California needs to better manage its water and forests. A water reservoir in the Pacific Palisades, a scorched Los Angeles community, was out of commission when fires first struck, and some fire hydrants dried up.
“California wants the money without changing the policies that are making the problem bad or worse, and I don’t see how Republicans could possibly support that,” Davidson said. “We support the people that are plagued by disaster, but we have to put pressure on the California government to change course here.”
In contrast, Davidson praised Republican-led Florida for its hurricane preparedness. Florida has received more FEMA direct relief funds than any other state since 2015, Axios reported using data from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Disaster Dollar Database
“When it comes to congressional funding, the idea that we’re gonna have an open checkbook no matter how bad your policies are is crazy,” Davidson said. “Florida is prone to hurricanes, so they do lots of things to mitigate the risk of hurricanes. California is prone to fires and they do things that make the fires worse instead of responding to make them more resilient.”
Democrats have instead pointed to climate change as the reason for the fires’ deadly destruction.
“The fires have been devastating for folks – and whether it’s Florida, North Carolina, or California, we all help when Americans are in trouble,” Democrat Rep. Greg Landsman in Ohio told The Enquirer.
Davidson’s comments on Fox News got some backlash from Democrats and X users over the weekend, with critics saying federal aid with strings attached would hurt victims. The congressman responded to the criticism on X, saying he supports providing aid and pressuring California lawmakers to change policy.
“I support disaster aid for people in California impacted by the fires, and I support addressing the policy failures that exacerbated the crisis,” he wrote.
The Enquirer’s request for comment from Davidson was not returned Monday. Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, which Davidson has represented since 2016, includes the western suburbs outside the city of Cincinnati, as well as Butler, Preble and Darke counties.
