Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) predicted Sunday “that there will be strings attached to money that is ultimately approved” for Los Angeles-area fire aid.
“Do you expect, though, that Congress and Republicans will still help these Americans in need, even if they don’t like their local politics in the party?” CBS News’s Margaret Brennan asked on “Face the Nation.”
“I expect that there will be strings attached to money that is ultimately approved, and it has to do with being ready the next time, because this was a gross failure this time,” the Wyoming Republican responded.
During his “Face the Nation” appearance, Barrasso said, “In addition to the tragedy on the ground, you’re also seeing gross mismanagement in California by elected officials.”
“It’s heartbreaking to hear the fire chief say that they’ve diverted all of this money away from the fire department to be used for social programs when they were already stretched too thin,” Barrasso said.
The recent Los Angeles-area wildfires have devastated the region, destroying property en masse and resulting in the deaths of 16 people as of Saturday. The Palisades Fire was behind five of the deaths, and the Eaton Fire was behind the other 11, according to an update from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
President-elect Trump has gone after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) amid the fires, with the president-elect saying this past week Newsom “should resign” over the disaster.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
On the same day, Newsom went after Trump in an interview on CNN over comments the president-elect made as the fires raged.
“People are literally fleeing,” he said. “People have lost their lives. Kids lost their schools, families completely torn asunder, churches burned down.”
“This guy wanted to politicize it,” he added, pointing to Trump. “I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say. I won’t.”
