Newsom Asks Congressional Leaders for Nearly $40 Billion in Federal Aid for Los Angeles Wildfire Recovery
On February 21, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote to bipartisan leaders in Congress seeking a federal supplemental appropriation of $39,680,737,878 — nearly $40 billion — to support recovery from the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County, California. The letter went to House leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, asking Congress to provide disaster funding as soon as possible to help Californians recover and rebuild.
The fires began in Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025, with the Palisades and Eaton fires doing the worst damage, driven by hurricane-force winds. According to the governor's letter, the fires destroyed more than 16,200 structures and killed at least 29 people, and estimates of the total economic loss surpassed $250 billion. Newsom wrote that the disaster could become the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
The largest single request was $16.8 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance for debris removal, hazardous waste disposal and repairs to public infrastructure including health care facilities and schools. Next was $9.9 billion in Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to help fire victims, homeowners, renters, businesses and local governments rebuild housing and supporting infrastructure. The letter also sought $5.29 billion in Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans, $4.32 billion in Economic Development Administration business recovery grants, and $2 billion in low-income housing tax credits.
Other requests included $432.3 million for water infrastructure, $350 million for wildfire resilience work on federal lands, $101 million for transportation infrastructure, $375.8 million for workforce child care and health services, and $51 million for dislocated worker assistance. By category, community and private property recovery accounted for about $27.3 billion, business recovery about $9.6 billion, tax incentives $2 billion, and workforce recovery and wildfire resilience about $400 million each.
"Los Angeles is one of the most economically productive places on the globe, but it can only rebound and flourish with support from the federal government as it recovers from this unprecedented disaster," Newsom wrote. In a social media post that day, he wrote: "I'm asking Congress to have the back of the American people and provide disaster funding to help Californians recover and rebuild as soon as possible." The letter said the total impact on California's economy would take years to fully quantify and that the state might request more funds in the future, and it thanked President Donald Trump's administration for its support in fast-tracking debris removal.
California had already committed its own funds: on January 23 the governor signed legislation providing more than $2.5 billion in immediate state disaster relief, and on January 8 then-President Joe Biden had approved a major disaster declaration for California. Earlier in February, Newsom traveled to Washington, D.C., where he met with President Trump and members of Congress from both parties to press for federal recovery aid.
Related: Los Angeles Pacific Palisades Wildfire Destroys More Than 6,800 Buildings, Kills 12
Related: Altadena Eaton Fire Destroys More Than 9,400 Buildings, Kills 17
(Source: Office of the Governor of California)
Source: Office of the Governor of California
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：2025年1月24日，加利福尼亚州州长 Gavin Newsom 在洛杉矶国际机场迎接抵达视察山火灾情的特朗普总统与第一夫人 Melania Trump，特朗普当时承诺协助洛杉矶灾后恢复。（白宫官方照片，Andrea Hanks 摄，公共领域） / Photo: California Governor Gavin Newsom greets President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Los Angeles International Airport on January 24, 2025, during the President's visit to the Los Angeles fire zones, where he pledged federal help for recovery. (Official White House photo by Andrea Hanks, public domain)
- 2025-01-07Los Angeles Pacific Palisades Wildfire Destroys More Than 6,800 Buildings, Kills 12
- 2025-01-07Altadena Eaton Fire Destroys More Than 9,400 Buildings, Kills 17
- 2025-01-08Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for California: Federal Aid Opens to Los Angeles County Wildfire Victims
- 2025-01-12Newsom Signs Executive Order to Speed Los Angeles Rebuilding: CEQA and Coastal Act Reviews Suspended, Price-Gouging Protections Extended to 2026
- 2025-01-23Newsom Signs $2.5 Billion Relief Package for Los Angeles Fire Recovery
- 2025-02-21Newsom Asks Congressional Leaders for Nearly $40 Billion in Federal Aid for Los Angeles Wildfire RecoveryThis story
