Los Angeles fires.. Trump sets conditions for providing aid to stricken areas

US President Donald Trump visited North Carolina and California, which were recently hit by natural disasters.
Trump is taking advantage of his first trip since returning to the White House to turn federal aid for natural disasters into a political bargaining chip.

Deep repair

Trump said that he would “perhaps abolish” the Federal Agency for Managing Hurricanes, Fires, and Other Disasters, especially as he seeks to largely control the distribution of federal aid in the event of natural disasters.

The Republican president said during his visit to North Carolina, “I will sign an executive order to begin deep reform, reforming the Federal Disaster Management Agency or perhaps eliminating it.”

Trump had threatened to stop helping California, a state affiliated with the Democrats, in the firefighting operation in Los Angeles.

Repercussions of the Los Angeles fires

But in the face of the devastation caused by the huge fires that swept California, Trump appeared less severe and declared, “The federal government stands behind you. 100 percent.”
“I don’t think you can realize how difficult the situation is and the extent of the devastation until you see it,” he said after touring the affected areas, adding, “I’ve seen a lot of harsh scenes on TV, but the scope and scale of it…it’s devastation. It’s unbelievable.”
Trump’s statements came after he threatened to withhold aid if California did not change laws that he says allow undocumented immigrants to vote, and linked this to a claim that the state could solve the drought it is suffering by simply opening a valve for water to flow.

US Federal Disaster Management Agency

The US President said, “In California, I want two things: proof of voters’ identities and seeing the water flow.”
In Los Angeles, a briefing with politicians and firefighters that had begun as sympathetic was derailed when Trump began saying California had an “unlimited” supply of water and speaking disparagingly about the Federal Disaster Management Agency.
“The Federal Disaster Management Agency is run inefficiently and costs three times more than it should,” he said.