Republicans want concessions before California gets its tax dollars back [View all]

Column by Philip Bump

The wildfires that have obliterated entire Los Angeles neighborhoods are still burning. But recovering from the disaster can’t wait. The city and the state of California have thousands of homeless residents, and a need for resources already extends into the billions of dollars.

In past similar moments, the federal government has quickly stepped in. Soon after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in 2017, Congress passed legislation that provided nearly $8 billion to help states that had been affected. Only three legislators voted against it.

However, the response to Hurricane Sandy five years before was different. That storm inundated the Northeast, leaving Lower Manhattan without power for days. When Congress began considering a slightly larger bill providing funding to the affected region, nearly 70 legislators opposed it — all Republicans.

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One difference between providing relief to Texas and Florida and providing relief to New York and New Jersey is that aiding the former two states means aiding states with mostly Republican voters and Republican leadership. Aiding the latter two means aiding Democrats. It means, in other words, an opportunity to exercise leverage over Democratic leaders.


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