Rep. Judy Chu talks to first responders outside Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, where a charity drop-off was established.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) led Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles), and George Whitesides (D-Santa Clarita), to extend a formal invitation to President Trump to visit the sites of Los Angeles County devastated by recent wildfires.
This action comes following her verbal invitation to the president-elect and Speaker Mike Johnson to visit disaster zones on Face the Nation on Jan. 12 and a formal letter to Speaker Johnson, House leadership, and top appropriators from Chu requesting they visit.
The Jan. 13 to Trump reads as follows:
“On Tuesday, Jan. 7, a series of fires driven by hurricane-force winds ignited across the Los Angeles region. The Eaton, Palisades, Hurst, Creek, Lidia, and Kenneth fires have already burned over 35,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, displaced tens of thousands of Southern California residents, and taken at least 24 lives. Across Los Angeles County, experts estimate upwards of $150 billion in potential economic costs from this past week’s wildfires.
“The Palisades Fire has burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed more than 5,000 structures while 13,000 buildings remain under threat and communities remain under evacuation notices, including many extremely vulnerable populations.
“The Eaton Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed over 7,000 structures, left 20,000 homeless, forced numerous health centers to close, and burned several schools to the ground.
“The Kenneth, Lidia, and Hurst fires, while mostly or completely contained now, burned over 2,000 acres.
“Given the scale of destruction across communities we represent, we invite you to tour the damage and devastation caused by these numerous fires. We ask you to join us in meeting with those who have suffered unimaginable losses, seeing the devastation first-hand, and hearing from heroic first responders about their diligent, unrelenting service in fighting these unprecedented wildfires.
“Your partnership is absolutely essential to demonstrating unified, strong support for those who have lost loved ones or returned to their home or business to find nothing left. The victims of the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and other fires across Southern California are relying on Congress to pass bipartisan emergency disaster appropriations legislation to support the long recovery ahead.
“We stand ready to work with you to ensure that Congress can, as it has in the past, provide robust funding on a bipartisan basis for disaster relief and disaster victims impacted this crisis.
“We are deeply appreciative of Gov. Newsom’s rapid State of Emergency declaration in response to the wildfires and the Biden-Harris Administration’s swift approval of several Fire Management Assistance Grants to reimburse California for immediate firefighting costs, as well as their immediate approval of California’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration.
“This declaration has strengthened coordination on response and relief efforts and ensures access to all categories of public assistance, individual assistance, and direct federal assistance for affected communities, but additional response and recovery assistance is urgently needed as we navigate a path toward recovery.
“That is why Congress must work together with the incoming Administration to provide continued disaster relief that will help Southern California rebuild.
“It is our sincere hope that you will accept this invitation to tour the damage in our districts caused by these fires, and we look forward to working with you to secure critical disaster relief funding that is necessary for this vibrant, beautiful, unique region to recover and rebuild.”