Ohio congressman Warren Davidson faced an intense backlash after insisting that federal disaster relief should be withheld from California until the state’s forestry management policies change.
“No doubt we need to address fires, but the problem with California is forestry management,” the MAGA politician told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo during a segment Friday. “All these things that they’re doing are making it far easier for fires to grow and spread and be huge.”
“If they want the money, then there should be consequences where they have to change their policies,” he continued. “I mean, we support the people that are plagued by disaster, but we have to put pressure on the California government to change course here.”
Since wildfires first erupted in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, more than 180,000 Los Angeles County residents have been displaced from their homes and at least 11 people have died.
Davidson’s suggestion to withhold relief from California sparked immediate criticism online with a flurry of X users commenting underneath a post he wrote further arguing his point.
“I swear to god next time Ohio has a disaster I will fight tooth and nail to make sure our politicians don’t vote to give you a dime. Anti-American POS,” one user wrote on the platform.
Another chimed in, “Republicans are really trying to blame everything except addressing the giant-sized elephant in the room called climate change.”
“Could you imagine if dems even slightly whispered something like this about Florida or Texas?,” another user wrote.
The fires have become a political talking point with President-elect Donald Trump largely blaming California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom for the “gross incompetence and mismanagement” of fire prevention.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
In a separate post, he added, “Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th cannot come fast enough!”
