Gov. Gavin Newsom responded on Tuesday to Republicans who said federal aid provided to California for the wildfire response should be conditional and require policy changes.
In an interview on MSNBC that he posted to social media, Mr. Newsom said: “If that’s leadership, I have a different definition.”
“I’m not meeting Democrats, I’m not meeting Republicans. I’m not meeting Californians,” the governor said. “I’m meeting American citizens desperate in need. And what they need is empathy, care, compassion, understanding. They need support. Not rhetoric, not strings attached.”
Mr. Newsom went on to criticize some Republicans for “politicizing this tragic moment.”
Several Republican leaders have said that aid to California for the wildfires that have killed at least 25 people so far should be conditional.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said that “state and local leaders were derelict in their duty in many respects,” citing what he called mistakes in “water resources management” and “forest management.” He added that he expected aid would come with conditions. He did not say in detail what those conditions would be.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said he would not vote for aid “unless we see a dramatic change in how they’re going to be handling these things in the future.”
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