--- title: "Trump budget request leaves out Los Angeles fire relief, drawing senators' criticism" description: "The White House asked Congress this week for $87.6 billion to cover what it called the nation's most urgent needs, but included nothing for the tens of thousands of Angelenos still rebuilding from the Eaton and Palisades fires. California's senators called the omission deliberate." category: "Los Angeles" category_url: https://herald.la/category/los-angeles author: "Desmond Clarke" published: 2026-06-26T19:32:46.000Z updated: 2026-06-26T19:32:46.000Z canonical: https://herald.la/article/trump-budget-request-leaves-out-los-angeles-fire-relief-drawing-senators-critici tags: ["wildfire", "eaton-fire", "palisades-fire", "federal-budget", "disaster-relief"] --- # Trump budget request leaves out Los Angeles fire relief, drawing senators' criticism The White House asked Congress this week for $87.6 billion to cover what it called the nation's most urgent needs, but included nothing for the tens of thousands of Angelenos still rebuilding from the Eaton and Palisades fires. California's senators called the omission deliberate. The Trump administration sent Congress a supplemental spending request this week totaling $87.6 billion, framed around the country's most pressing needs. It contained no money for the Southern Californians still trying to rebuild more than 18 months after the Eaton and Palisades fires, [according to the Los Angeles Times](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-budget-request-omits-funds-203059205.html). The omission drew an unusually sharp response from California's two Democratic U.S. senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, who cast it as a deliberate slight against a region the administration has repeatedly clashed with. ## A large request with nothing for the fires Most of the $87.6 billion package would defray costs tied to the administration's recent military confrontation with Iran, [the senators said in a joint statement](https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/statement-sens-schiff-padilla-condemn-white-houses-continued-stonewalling-on-california-disaster-relief-after-new-supplement-request-omits-overdue-funding-for-eaton-and-palisades-fires/) — a war they noted was "not authorized by Congress or supported by the American people." None of the money was designated for the Los Angeles County communities leveled in January 2025. "These fires did not discriminate based on party or political preference," Padilla and Schiff said. "Neither should this administration." They went further, accusing the president of acting out of political spite: "Donald Trump's desire to punish Los Angeles and the state of California for not voting for him, means once again that thousands of Angelenos are left watching this administration fight for anything but them, their businesses, and their communities." The senators described the request as the latest in a pattern of stonewalling, noting that fire-affected communities have now waited more than a year and a half for the long-term federal rebuilding aid that Congress has not delivered. ## The scale of the loss By the senators' accounting, the Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed roughly 16,000 structures across Los Angeles County, killed at least a dozen people, and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and lost economic activity. The Eaton Fire devastated Altadena and neighboring foothill communities, while the Palisades Fire reduced much of Pacific Palisades to rubble. State and local leaders have spent months pressing Washington for help. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger have sought roughly $16 billion in federal recovery funds, while Governor Gavin Newsom has requested a far larger package covering housing, infrastructure and economic recovery, [the Los Angeles Times reported](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-budget-request-omits-funds-203059205.html). In December, Newsom traveled to Washington to [press the president directly](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/12/04/governor-newsom-advocates-for-la-fire-survivors-in-washington-urges-trump-to-uphold-his-commitments-to-help-la/) to honor what the governor described as earlier commitments to the region. ## A bipartisan ask, still unmet The push for relief has not been confined to Democrats. Earlier this year, a [bipartisan group of state lawmakers](https://speaker.asmdc.org/press-releases/20260226-bipartisan-assembly-demands-trump-deliver-los-angeles-long-delayed-billions) demanded the administration deliver the long-delayed federal wildfire aid, calling it a basic obligation to disaster survivors regardless of politics. Federal emergency money did flow in the immediate aftermath of the fires — FEMA assistance for temporary housing, debris removal and emergency needs. But that early aid was never intended to fund the years-long work of rebuilding homes, schools and infrastructure. That gap is the one Congress has yet to close. For the families still in rentals, hotels or doubled up with relatives more than 500 days after the fires, another budget cycle passing without dedicated relief is not an abstraction. It is another season of insurance disputes, stalled permits and uncertainty about whether they will be able to return home at all. ## Sources - [Trump budget request omits funds for L.A. fire relief, prompting criticism from senators](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-budget-request-omits-funds-203059205.html) - [Schiff, Padilla condemn White House's continued stonewalling on California disaster relief](https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/statement-sens-schiff-padilla-condemn-white-houses-continued-stonewalling-on-california-disaster-relief-after-new-supplement-request-omits-overdue-funding-for-eaton-and-palisades-fires/)