Trump budget request omits funds for L.A. fire relief, prompting criticism from senators

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Set us as preferred WASHINGTON — California’s two Democratic senators on Thursday criticized the Trump administration after it requested $87.6 billion from Congress to address some of the nation’s most “urgent needs” but omitted funding for victims of last year’s Los Angeles wildfires.“Donald Trump’s desire to punish Los Angeles and the state of California for not voting for him, means once again that thousands of Angelinos are left watching this administration fight for anything but them, their businesses, and their communities,” Sens.Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff said in a joint statement.“These fires did not discriminate based on party or political preference.

Neither should this administration,” they added.The omission is the latest strain in a yearlong standoff between California leaders and the Trump administration over federal disaster aid, and comes after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger met with President Trump at the Oval Office in April to request the funding.At the meeting, Trump signaled his commitment to working with local officials to help with disaster recovery efforts.The officials asked for $16 billion that would be split between the city and county.

The money would consist primarily of disbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency flagged for communities hit by the fires, part of a $33.9-billion wildfire relief funding request made by Gov.Gavin Newsom.

Politics The mayor and county supervisor said they had a “high-level discussion” with the president, sharing stories about what fire survivors are experiencing day to day.Two months later, those talks have yet to yield results sought by local leaders.The budget request, submitted by the Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday, mostly seeks funding for the Pentagon to ad...