Mike Johnson: There Should Be 'Conditions' on Aid to California

House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans have suggested placing conditions on any aid sent to California in the wake of the latest devastating wildfires to hit the state. "Obviously there has been water resource mismanagement, forest management mistakes, all sorts of problems," Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Monday, per the Hill. "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." He said "there should probably be conditions on that aid" before it is delivered to California, and confirmed there's "been some discussion" amongst Republicans of tying aid to a debt ceiling increase, Politico reports.

President-elect Trump has often blamed Democrat lawmakers in California for the state's wildfires, and on Sunday, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso did the same. Another Republican lawmaker said he wouldn't vote for aid unless things change in the state. Axios uses the word "enraged" to describe the response to such an idea from Democrats. In one heavily-cited X post, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, said, "This is a Mistake. If you start this, it will never end. When Dems retake the House, they will condition aid to Florida and Texas. Disaster Aid must stay non partisan. I would fight democrats should they try and do this. The Speaker can find many other ways to hold people accountable." (More California wildfires stories.)