With his recent appointment to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach said he will “push back” against slowdowns to federal assistance for victims of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
The congressman said in a press release earlier this month that the seat positions him to champion Long Beach’s plans for growth at the Port and ahead of the Summer 2028 Olympics. This includes projects like the nearly $1 billion replacement of the Shoemaker Bridge and funding for L.A. Metro’s Southeast Gateway Line, which would expand transit access through the county’s southeast corridor.
“As home to the Port of Long Beach, we know how essential robust transportation and infrastructure networks are to driving our nation’s economy and good paying jobs,” Garcia wrote. “Let’s bring these dollars home.”
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is tasked with oversight of federal grants and projects, including jurisdiction over money distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“I’m committed to pushing back against anything that slows down FEMA or delays aid,” Garcia wrote. “That means speaking up, helping others understand how urgent the situation in California is, and learning from these disasters to improve how we handle emergencies.”
This comes as President Donald Trump on Monday signed a flurry of first-day executive orders, including a pardon of hundreds involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, withdrawal from the Paris climate accords and several hardline changes to U.S. immigration policy.
One order, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” targets how and whether federal aid through FEMA will be given to “so-called ‘sanctuary cities.”
FEMA aid covers a range of disaster relief programs, from rental assistance to reimbursement for lodging expenses like hotel stays and costs accrued by home repairs or replacement.
It’s too early to say how wildfire relief will be doled out, either as a single package or a series of bills. Generally, these are initiated by the House Speaker, Mike Johnson from Louisiana, who has said previously he’s open to conditions placed on federal aid.
“Obviously there’s been water resources management, forest management mistakes, all sorts of problems. And it does come down to leadership and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty in many respects,” Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, told reporters last week.
Garcia, along with other Democrats, has called the idea a “non-starter,” warning in an Axios interview that it sets a “dangerous precedent.”
“What I do know is there’s been horrific tragedy and devastation in his home state of Louisiana, of which we’ve never conditioned aid to, and he shouldn’t do the same to us,” Garcia said.
At least 27 people have been killed in L.A. County fires, which have destroyed more than 13,000 homes and businesses and forced the evacuation of roughly tens of thousands of people.
Some lawmakers warn the wildfires are expected to be the most damaging and expensive natural disaster in U.S. history.
“I think that we absolutely are going to be engaged with FEMA, that’s going to be really important,” Garcia said. “Through our conversations with its administrator and staff, issues like reimbursements for cities, issues during emergencies, we absolutely will be engaged, and this gives me an opportunity to be there and to be part of the decision-making process.”
It also comes as Trump named former Navy SEAL member Cameron Hamilton as temporary administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Office of Response and Recovery, which handles the distribution of disaster relief money.
Despite the expected direction of the new administration, Garcia said he is optimistic that FEMA will remain a nonpartisan organization.
“FEMA has always, traditionally been an organization that is beyond reproach, professional, bipartisan support,” Garcia said. “It’s not something that has been messed with in the past by partisan efforts.”