California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked for billions of dollars in fire relief funds from the federal government after devastating wildfires in January 2025.
According to BBC, California's governor requested 40 billion (£31.6 billion) in funds from US President Donald Trump's administration to rebuild the area destroyed by the fire.
In a letter sent to the congressional leaders on Friday, February 21, 2025, he said that the relief fund will be used for immediate as well as long-term recovery work.
He wrote in the letter, “The impacted communities have experienced widespread devastation, and the total impact on California's economy will take years to fully quantify.”
He explained that the funds would be used for workforce recovery, tax incentives, wildfire resilience, and private property redevelopment.
As per the governor's proposal, the biggest share of the fund, which is 42%, will be used for public assistance in debris removal and repair work.
Moreover, Newsom said in a post on social media, “I'm asking Congress to have the back of the American people and provide disaster funding to help Californians recover and rebuild as soon as possible.”
Notably, the massive and multiple fires that began on January 7, 2025, killed at least 26 people and have burnt around 37,469 acres of the land in the greater area of Los Angeles, whereas some 150,000 residents have been displaced.
