Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Chu, California Delegation Urge Disaster Aid for Altadena Before New War Spending

[Rep. Judy Chu via Facebook]

For Altadena and Pasadena, where the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes and killed 19 people, the standoff will help determine whether the federal government finances a rebuild that, 18 months on, has barely begun.

Addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Charles Schumer, the letter — led by Reps. Norma Torres (CA-35), Chu, Brad Sherman (CA-32) and delegation chair Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) — asks leaders to withhold action on the supplemental until relief passes for California and other disaster-hit states. “It is deeply disappointing that since January 2025, not a single step has been taken by the White House to submit a request for federal disaster aid,” the members wrote. They characterized the administration as “prioritizing the war in Iran over helping American communities recover from devastating disasters,” and accused it of delaying or denying FEMA emergency aid, saying the agency’s own data show it moving more slowly than previous administrations.

According to the letter, the wildfires displaced more than 100,000 Californians, destroyed more than 13,000 homes and properties and killed more than two dozen people, and independent estimates place total economic damage at up to $275 billion. California has told Congress it needs about $34 billion in disaster assistance the letter says the administration has not requested.

The delegation framed disaster relief as traditionally bipartisan, noting that Congress passed aid Trump signed into law after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and $100 billion for the Southeast after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 under President Biden — packages the letter said drew no Democratic opposition. Rather than take up the Iran supplemental, it said, “Congress should immediately draft a federal disaster aid supplemental.”

The administration’s June 24 request, sent by Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to Johnson, sought $67.1 billion for the Defense Department tied to the Iran campaign, plus farm and Ebola-response funding, but no wildfire relief. “I urge the Congress to take action on these important and urgent requests as soon as possible,” Vought wrote. The White House had not issued a public response to the letter as of this writing.

The Eaton Fire began the evening of January 7, 2025, and was contained on January 31 after 24 days, destroying 9,418 structures and damaging 1,073 more, according to Cal Fire; the Palisades Fire destroyed 6,837. Together they killed 31 people, ranking among the most destructive fires in state history. A year on, only a handful of homes had been rebuilt, most in Altadena. Chu has pressed repeatedly to fulfill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for additional aid. “This fight is far from over,” she said last July.

The delegation said it stands ready to work on a bipartisan federal disaster-aid package.