Amid a Los Angeles County wildfire recovery not moving at full speed, Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sent joint letters to congressional leadership on Tuesday, seeking to secure $15.7 billion in federal funding for the region’s long-term rebuild from the catastrophic Palisades and Eaton fires.
The letters were submitted to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, as well as the House and Senate Appropriations Committee, and members of the Los Angeles County congressional delegation.
The letters follow on the heels of related letters that local congressional leaders including Reps. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, and Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, sent to the same leaders last week.
“From Los Angeles to Sacramento to Washington, Supervisor Barger and I have worked together to fight for the resources wildfire survivors need and deserve — and we won’t stop until every family has returned home and every business has reopened its doors,” Bass said in a statement.
- Also see: As Congress debates Iran war funding, Southern California reps demand LA wildfire recovery support
“The scale of this recovery requires continued assistance from every level of government to rebuild our communities and the critical infrastructure that supports them, and that’s what we’re calling for today,” she added.
Barger echoed Bass, citing a focus that remains on ensuring communities have the federal resources necessary to rebuild stronger.
“Our families, businesses, and neighborhoods have shown extraordinary resilience, but they cannot complete this recovery alone. Continued federal partnership is essential to helping our communities rebuild and move forward,” Barger said in a statement.
In June, President Donald Trump requested an additional $87.6 billion in supplemental funding, mostly to further support the Pentagon in the war against Iran. Bass and Barger noted in their letters that the request did not reference disaster relief related to the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires.
“President Trump has conveyed the administration’s commitment to assist with our collective disaster recovery efforts,” according to the letters. “While provisions were not included in the administration’s funding request, we are reaching out to seek your support and guidance to ensure that legislation is written to advance a supplemental disaster appropriation aligned with both Los Angeles County’s and city’s combined request of $15.7 billion to cover the infrastructure and rebuilding needs associated with the Eaton and Palisades fires.”
That echoed similar concerns made by the region’s congressional representatives, who in the case of the House of Representatives last week urged congressional leaders to withhold funding for the Trump administration’s Iran war supplemental until funding is carved out for L.A.’s disaster relief and other that of other states to help them rebuild.
Last month, U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla decried the lack of L.A. wildfire recovery aid in the Trump administration’s request for $87.6 billion from Congress to address some of the nation’s most “urgent needs.”
Going back to last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom has been asking the Trump administration for more than $30 billion for the recovery effort.
- Also see: Trump tours wildfire damage in LA, meets with residents, leaders: ‘We’re going to get it fixed’
Barger and Bass said the funding would be used to restore critical infrastructure, rebuild parks, schools and senior centers. It would also be used to provide residents with much-needed housing and financial support, and means to revitalize economic and business corridors.
“We respectfully request your leadership and assistance in ensuring disaster relief appropriations, to include the pending needs related to the Eaton and Palisades fire, are included in supplemental appropriations legislation at its first writing,” the letters concluded.
City Editor Ryan Carter and City News Service contributed to this report.