Biden Pledges Federal Aid for CA Wildfire Recovery

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden pledged Thursday that the federal government will cover 100% of disaster assistance costs to California for the next 180 days and emphatically tied the devastating wildfires to human-caused climate change.

Biden referenced a phrase from the poem “Easter, 1916” by poet William Butler Yeats, who wrote, “All changed, changed utterly: / A terrible beauty is born.”

“All has changed in the weather. Climate change is real,” Biden said. “We’ve got to adjust to it, and we can, it’s within our power to do it. But we’ve got to acknowledge it.”

Biden said his pledge for federal funding came in response to a request from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Although he did not specify how the funding will be rolled out, Biden said he had approved funding through fire management grants and a disaster declaration, which will pay for things such as clearing debris, removing hazardous materials and paying first-responder salaries.

“I told the governor and local officials, spare no expense to contain these fires,” Biden said, sitting at a long table in the White House, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and other federal agency leaders. “We’re doing literally everything we can at the federal level.”

Addressing Southern Californians, he added, “We are with you. We’re not going anywhere.”

The president said he is “surging all federal resources possible to Southern California,” including 400 additional federal firefighters and more than 30 firefighting helicopters and planes. He said Canada also is providing firefighting aircraft.

Biden urged those affected by what he described as “the worst fires to ever hit Los Angeles” to contact disasterassistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362.

Harris, whose home in the Brentwood neighborhood has been threatened by the wildfires, called the scenes in Southern California “apocalyptic.”

“What we are seeing is a situation that is extremely dynamic, it is very much in play and, to some degree, unpredictable — because we are literally waiting to see which way the wind blows,” the vice president said.

“As the Californian at the table,” Harris said, looking around the room, “we’re beyond the point of calling it fire season. ... We’re seeing that it doesn’t matter what month of the year, we should be ready.”

Biden was in Los Angeles earlier Wednesday for a previously scheduled visit. While in the area, he met with Newsom and fire officials, assuring them that California would receive federal funding and support for ending the wildfires.

“We’re prepared to do anything and everything for as long as it takes to contain these fires,” Biden said at a Santa Monica fire station Wednesday.

But belying Biden’s promise for long-term help is the reality that he leaves office in less than two weeks. Asked by a reporter whether he expected California would continue to receive aid under the next administration, Biden responded, “I’m not in a position to answer that question. I pray to God they will.”

President-elect Donald Trump blasted Biden, as well as California’s liberal top officials, for their leadership during the devastating fires, posting Thursday on his Truth Social platform, “Fire is spreading rapidly for 3 days — ZERO CONTAINMENT. Nobody has ever seen such failed numbers before! Gross incompetence by Gavin Newscum and (Los Angeles Mayor) Karen Bass….And Biden’s FEMA has no money — all wasted on the Green New Scam! L.A. is a total wipeout!!!”

Biden also said he would call on Congress to provide further funding for disaster relief.

“They have to step up when we ask for more help,” he said.

But future funding from Congress faces more political headwinds, as the newly elected House and Senate are led by Republicans who are not too charitable to California. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., laid the blame on Newsom and Bass for poor water and forest management, posting Thursday afternoon on X, “It’s impossible to ignore the feckless leadership in the state.” He also skewered Bass for her trip to Ghana, which took her away from the city when the fire broke out.

Biden spoke about the L.A. fires with some personal experience. On Wednesday, the president said that his son Hunter, who has a house in Malibu, received a notification that his home had probably burned to the ground. The Daily Mail reported Thursday that the home had been destroyed.

“This is really, really, really difficult for the families to have to deal with,” Biden said at the Thursday news conference. “People are going, ‘When do I get back? Will I ever find that picture album? Will I ever find the jewelry that my mom, my grandmom gave me?’ I mean, there’s so much anxiety that’s generated.”

The president canceled a planned trip to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis so that he could focus on the fire response instead.

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