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Amid one of the worst natural disasters in California’s history, some Republican leaders are using the Los Angeles fires to advocate for policy changes and to criticize Democratic leadership. House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for tying federal disaster aid to changes in how California manages its water and forests. President Donald Trump has blamed California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, claiming his water management decisions exacerbated the fires. State and city officials have rebuked Trump’s allegations.
Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette arguest that the devastating impact of the wildfires cannot simply be blamed on a few Democratic politicians. He also contends that Republicans politicizing this disaster have only been making the situation worse.
The following is an excerpt from the above video:
So when devastating wildfires break out in Los Angeles, Republicans across the country jump at the chance to push their favorite narrative that Democrats are terrible leaders with dangerous policies that threaten the lives of everyday Americans.
Sure, the Republican rant was predictable, childish and insensitive. It made them look worse than the Californians who were under siege by the flames. But it was also short-sighted. After all, disasters, both natural and man-made, also occur in red states run by Republicans.
In September 2024, Hurricane Helene — a monster storm that killed more than 150 people, wrecked havoc on Northwestern Florida, then went on to damage parts of Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina — when Helene struck, the first three states, well, they were headed by Republican governors. The fourth was led by a Democrat governor during Helene, but it will be headed by a Republican during the cleanup.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, has confirmed that in 2024 there were 24 major weather and climate disasters in the United States — “major” means inflicting at least a billion dollars in damages. Last year, weather-related disasters included 17 severe storm events, four hurricanes, one wildfire outbreak and two winter storms. Also in 2024, three states, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri —Democrat governor, Republican governor, Republican governor — each experienced more than 100 tornadoes. Across the country, according to NOAA, there were more than 1700 tornadoes total. The point is, political affiliation doesn’t cause natural disaster. And natural disasters, they don’t care about political affiliation.
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