Donalds on Trump’s funding threat: California should do more to prevent wildfires

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) on Sunday argued California needs to do more to prevent wildfires after former President Trump threatened to withhold wildfire aid from the state over its environmental rules.

CNN’s Dana Bash asked Donalds on “State of the Union” about Trump’s comments, noting Donalds’ home state is dealing with the fallout of two back-to-back hurricanes that require a federal response.

“I think when you look at Florida versus California, taking in hurricane force winds and massive flooding is one thing. There’s not much the state of Florida can do to prevent that,” Donalds said. “You compare that with California’s environmental policy, a lot of their forest fires are mostly caused because the state of California blocks the management of their lands, they don’t clear the underbrush.”

Donalds argued that taxpayers have to “foot the bill” when the state of California “doesn’t do the simple work” to prevent wildfires.

CNN’s Dana Bash pressed Donalds on whether he was comfortable with Trump’s threat to withhold federal aid from California for fires, a threat he’d also made last month. Donalds said that’s not what Trump was saying.

“I think Congress is going to weigh in on this heavily and of course, we’re going to do what needs to be done, but California does have to look at their land management issues in the future,” he said. “We have to be responsible with the dollars that the federal government is going to be spending.”

The environmental policy and funding conversation has been put under a microscope after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton devastated the Southeast within weeks of one another. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s budget has been scrutinized by Trump and others as people look for help and recovery.