By Eliyahu Kamisher | Bloomberg
Gov. Gavin Newsom is enlisting veteran Republican lawmaker Ken Calvert to help push his $40 billion wildfire aid request through Congress and secure President Donald Trump’s backing for rebuilding efforts.
Calvert, 71, a longtime member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has emerged as a key proponent of Newsom’s relief efforts, even as some of his Republican colleagues work to derail it. Calvert’s support runs counter to a broader push within his party to attach conditions to the funding, including changing voter identification laws and rolling back California’s coastal regulations.
“He certainly believes that California and these Los Angeles residents deserve the same federal aid that anyone else in the country deserves,” said Jason Gagnon, a Calvert spokesperson. His office confirmed Calvert’s role leading the congressional push for aid.
The Los Angeles wildfires, which killed 29 people and caused an estimated $164 billion in economic losses, have left Newsom in a politically delicate position. Once an outspoken Democratic critic of Trump, Newsom has softened his approach in recent weeks with billions in aid on the line. He met privately with Trump at the White House this month, just weeks after greeting the president before he toured the fire damage in hard-hit Pacific Palisades.
On Friday, Newsom sent a letter to Congress outlining a request for $39.7 billion to support the recovery effort, and said he expects to identify additional funding needs.
“Trump has $40 billion that California needs, and that comes first,” said Dan Schnur, a political analyst who teaches at University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley. “Newsom is in a similar situation that many European leaders face with Trump. He needs to play nice.”
Trump and his allies have signaled they are willing to use disaster aid as a bargaining chip. The president has suggested that the state must pass rules requiring voters to show IDs at the polls, while Ric Grenell, a top Trump ally, has proposed dismantling the California Coastal Commission, which regulates shoreline development. Locally, Darrell Issa, a GOP congressman for the San Diego area, said Democrats in California “can’t ask America’s taxpayers to pay for their mistaken liberal policies.”
It’s a turnaround from former President Joe Biden’s administration, which in the early days of the crisis quickly approved disaster aid. With Republicans now controlling the House and the Senate, Newsom — widely seen as a presidential contender in 2028 — has appeared to put more focus on forging alliances than picking fights.
Calvert’s leadership on the aid package reflects his own political reality.
For decades, he represented a solid-red district in the Inland Empire, a region known for its suburban sprawl and working-class voters. But after redistricting in 2022 added liberal-leaning Palm Springs to his district, he narrowly won re-election in November with Trump’s endorsement and after speaking at a Trump rally in Coachella, California during the campaign. Now, he’s among the lawmakers a Democratic political action committee is targeting for the 2026 midterm vote, as the party looks to win back voters.
That shift has pushed the staunch conservative — who voted against certifying the 2020 election and has a history of anti-LGBTQ positions — to moderate on some key issues, said Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist.
“Frankly it’s good politics for both of them,” said Madrid. “Gavin gives Calvert the imprimatur of working in a bipartisan fashion in a district that demands it, and Calvert gives Newsom a lifeline so he’s not totally isolated during the Trump administration.”
Calvert’s support for Newsom’s aid request fits with his bipartisan approach to disaster aid funding — while arguing that policy changes on wildfire prevention and rebuilding efforts could be part of broader relief. Calvert’s district wasn’t directly affected by the fires. The lawmaker has also previously touted his working relationship with the Democratic Senator Alex Padilla to secure firefighting aircraft for the state and on Colorado River issues.
“Those kind of policies are not conditions on aid but rather tools to help our state take commonsense steps to build homes faster and protect residents from wildfires,” Calvert said on X last month.
Still, this week, Calvert voted with most Republicans for a budget blueprint that proposes deep federal spending cuts — reductions that could make it harder for California to secure disaster aid. And Trump has said he wants to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency and last month signed an executive action setting up a council to review its work.
Newsom’s federal request includes $16.8 billion for FEMA public assistance grants and cleanup funding, $16.6 billion for housing and infrastructure rebuilding, as well as $5.3 billion for low-interest loans to fire victims.
Newsom’s office views the request as modest, considering the fire’s destruction. But House Republicans are pushing major budget cuts, including an huge reduction in Department of Housing and Urban Development funding, which could jeopardize $50 billion in grants, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence analysis.
Days ahead of formally requesting the funds, Newsom’s team alerted the Trump administration and congressional leaders, according to a person familiar with the matter. In separate meetings this month, the governor spoke with Trump, Calvert and Representative Doug LaMalfa, a Republican from northern California.
“We’re working across the aisle, as we always have, to ensure survivors have the resources and support they need,” Newsom said in a statement following his White House visit on Feb. 5. “Thank you President Trump for coming to our communities to see this first hand, and meeting with me today to continue our joint efforts to support people impacted.”