By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top Republicans in the U.S. Congress are considering imposing conditions on disaster aid to Los Angeles communities devastated by wildfires, after President-elect Donald Trump claimed that state and local officials had mishandled the situation.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Monday that leading officials in the Democratic-led state mismanaged water resources and forests in the Los Angeles area before six simultaneous blazes tore across the second-largest U.S. city, claiming the lives of at least 24 people.
"It appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty in many respects. So that's something that has to be factored in," Johnson told reporters in the U.S. Capitol.
"There should probably be conditions on that aid. That's my personal view. We'll see what the consensus is," he said.
House Republicans have not yet discussed disaster aid to sections of California stricken by fire, Johnson said. The lawmakers were due to meet behind closed doors early on Tuesday.
With Trump due to take office in less than a week, Republican control of both the House and Senate gives the party full control over spending, including the form and volume of disaster relief.
The president-elect took aim at the largely Democratic leaders of California and Los Angeles as "incompetent pols" over the weekend in a social media post about the wildfires that claimed "they have no idea out to put them out."
No. 2 Senate Republican John Barrasso on Sunday told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he expected to see "strings attached to money that is ultimately approved, and it has to do with being ready the next time, because this was a gross failure this time."
Johnson said House Republicans are also discussing the possibility of tying California aid to efforts to raise the limit on more than $36 trillion in U.S. debt.
One hurdle facing disaster aid in Congress is an energized hardline conservative bloc that seeks offsets for any new spending.
Last month, the Republican-controlled House and a Democratic-led Senate approved more than $100 billion in new emergency funding to help states including North Carolina and Florida recover from devastating hurricanes.
Though many of the aid recipients live in Republican areas, some party members in both chambers pressed unsuccessfully to limit the aid as little as $40 billion.
While California is heavily Democratic, with the party holding both the governorship and two U.S. Senate seats, it was the site of several closely contested U.S. House, where Democrats succeeded in holding onto closely-fought seats. The state could play a critical role in determining House control once more in the 2026 midterm elections.