In a shocking turn of events that will surprise absolutely no one who has been paying attention, victims of the Los Angeles firestorm have broken a record they never wanted: the longest delay in modern history for federal disaster aid. Nearly 600 days since the fires tore through the region, reducing more than 16,000 structures to ash and toxic debris, the Trump administration has yet to allocate more than $15bn in long-term recovery funds. That's right, folks - while the fires were historic, so is the bureaucratic foot-dragging.
The previous record was held by Maui fire victims, who waited a mere 500 days. But LA has now blown past that milestone, because why not add insult to injury? The delay is months longer than that, as LAist so helpfully noted this week. Recoveries from large-scale disasters have always stretched across years, but the lags and lapses in federal support are adding new challenges to already complex rebuilding efforts. And, of course, Donald Trump has been accused of politicizing disasters, leaving communities in limbo while playing favorites.
Jay Inslee, the former Washington state governor, put it bluntly: "Spokane has joined a rapidly growing list of our communities that have been devastated by these climate-exaggerated fires." He recently visited Altadena, one of the hardest-hit areas, and observed: "It has just been absolutely ripped open and has not been able to recover yet. Donald Trump has strangled these communities by refusing to give emergency assistance."
But withholding funds is just the beginning. The administration has also imposed "unlawful" conditions on states requesting federal grants for disaster response, according to attorneys general from 25 Democratic-led states who sued in July. Led by California's Rob Bonta, the group claims the Department of Homeland Security and Fema are running a "campaign of coercion," leveraging disaster support to force states into adopting Trump's voting and immigration policies. Because nothing says "compassionate governance" like holding disaster relief hostage for political gain.
And the numbers back this up: Trump has approved only 23% of disaster aid requests from Democratic-run states, compared to 89% from Republican-leaning states, per Politico. He even initially threatened to attach political conditions to aid for LA fire victims. Sweet.
Meanwhile, recovery in LA has been painfully slow. The fires, which erupted in January 2025, killed 31 people and leveled homes, businesses, churches, and schools. Eighteen months later, the Department of Angels, a non-profit, reports that LA has experienced the longest wait for major disaster funding in modern history. Roughly two-thirds of survivors were still displaced as of late July, and all forms of financial assistance have decreased. Homeowners face an average $500,000 gap in rebuilding costs. Close to half of those affected have taken on debt to stay afloat, and 20% have delayed rebuilding due to financial constraints. As the report dryly notes, "Recovery has stalled while families wait for the federal resources that have long helped communities rebuild after disasters."
State officials have accused the president of politicizing the disaster in a county that largely votes Democratic. California's Democratic senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, issued a joint statement in June after Trump's $87.6bn budget request focused on military funding for the war in Iran - omitting disaster funds entirely. "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," they said.
Governor Gavin Newsom has made several additional requests to Trump over the last 18 months, but as of early August, none have been approved. In March, the state outlined its needs: roughly $10.5bn in Community Development Block Grants for housing and infrastructure, $179m in economic development grants, and $3bn for public assistance projects like schools, senior centers, libraries, and parks. Newsom even called on Trump to fulfill his pledge during the president's visit to LA earlier this month. The trip came and went. No epiphany.
Advocates in Washington state are also urging Trump to act for the Spokane fire recovery. Inslee, who knows from personal experience - Trump withheld a disaster declaration for Malden, Washington, in 2020 due to a political feud, only granting it after Biden took office - hopes history won't repeat itself. "We're hoping that he will have an epiphany to understand what his job is, which is to help all Americans, no matter who they voted for," Inslee said. At this point, we're not holding our breath.