Newsom seeks federal funds for Los Angeles wildfire recovery, but is denied meeting with key Trump officials

Washington—— Gov. Gavin Newsom kept a low profile as he traveled through the nation’s capital this week, holding a meeting with several lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Friday to renew his call for billions of dollars in federal recovery aid after the Los Angeles fires.

For a governor who has been in the spotlight in recent weeks — being followed by cameras at the U.N. climate summit in Brazil last month and appearing at the New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday — the low-key trip to Washington stands out. The halls were quiet as he moved between offices Friday, with many lawmakers already on their way home for the weekend.

The governor’s office said little about Newsom’s schedule in Washington ahead of his trip and later said he met with five lawmakers, including three who serve on the Senate and House Appropriations committees, as well as Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Los Angeles) and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).

Newsom told The Times that the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected his request for a meeting, a setback that underscores the political friction with the Trump administration over California’s call for $33.9 billion in long-term disaster relief funding nearly a year after devastating fires in Los Angeles.

The governor said his visit was intended to make a “general case for recovery,” not just for California but for other disaster-stricken states like Texas and North Carolina.

“We’ve reached a point where we need to take action, and that’s why we’re stepping up,” Newsom said as he left a meeting with Sen. John Bozeman (R-Ark.), a lifetime member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Newsom noted that funding is critical for fire victims.

“They should not be victimized again by politics, politics or politicians,” Newsom said. “There’s nothing more American than providing help to people in need. That’s a fundamental principle.”

When asked by reporters, Newsom would not say whether he had tried to request a meeting with the White House. The White House did not respond to a request seeking comment.

Asked if he considered his discussions with lawmakers a success, Newsom said he was pleased to be able to meet with “people on the other side of the aisle,” describing the meetings as examples of “remarkable kindness.”

Bozeman’s office called the meeting with Newsom productive and said the senator “emphasized the need for collaboration between states and the federal government and effective public-private partnerships to help improve forest management practices and protect communities.”

Newsom’s office said the governor also met with Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York).

During Newsom’s nearly hour-long meeting with Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairs Padilla and Esperat, the governor’s office said the discussion went beyond disaster aid to the fear and uncertainty experienced by immigrant communities displaced by the Los Angeles fires as they face federal raids.

Disaster relief is at stake

Newsom urged the Trump administration to formally request $33.9 billion in recovery aid from Congress to rebuild homes, schools, utilities and other critical infrastructure that were destroyed or damaged in the fires that began sweeping through communities on Jan. 7.

The governor said there is bipartisan support in Congress for long-term aid. But he said the Trump administration has not made any recovery proposals since his initial request in February. The request was closer to $40 billion, according to a letter Newsom sent to congressional leaders on Wednesday, but was later reduced by the amount already paid.

“Back in January, the president looked me in the eye on the tarmac at LAX and promised me and the people of Los Angeles that he would ‘take care of it’ as we rebuild and recover,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday. “That promise has not been kept, and instead, he has left survivors behind. It’s time for Trump to wake up and do his job.”

The fires destroyed thousands of structures across Los Angeles, displacing families and uprooting businesses.

In the first six months after the fires, California received reimbursement for direct response costs and more than $3 billion in personal assistance and small business loans.

The governor’s visit to Washington comes as House and Senate Republicans have launched two congressional investigations into California officials’ response to the Palisades fires and how organizations distributed relief funds to victims. Lawmakers have requested troves of records from dozens of agencies at the local, state and federal levels as part of a congressional investigation.

Newsom welcomed the congressional scrutiny, saying his administration “embraces transparency because Californians deserve nothing else.”

Williamson indictment takes center stage

Newsom has kept a low profile since news broke that his former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, was arrested on federal corruption charges. Newsom has not spoken publicly about the indictment except for an interview with The Sacramento Bee, in which he described his reaction to the indictment as “genuine surprise and shock.”

Last November, when Williamson briefed the governor’s office about the federal investigation, the governor told The Bee how she was placed on leave. He said he was “unaware of the details” and hoped “the matter will be resolved.”

“I really don’t know,” Newsom said during a three-minute interview on Friday when asked if he knew about the ongoing investigation. Newsom also said he had not yet been interviewed by the Justice Department about the investigation.

Newsom has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Williamson’s attorney, McGregor Scott, a former U.S. attorney in Sacramento, told The Times in November that federal authorities had approached Williamson more than a year ago seeking help with some kind of investigation into the governor himself.

Newsom was a featured speaker at the New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, where he dodged questions about whether he would run for president in 2028 but was not asked about the indictment, which has reverberated across Sacramento political circles.

Asked at a DealBook event what went wrong for Democrats in the last presidential election, Newsom reiterated his harsh criticism of his party.

“The party is reuniting,” Newsom said at the event. “We got hammered in the last election, and there’s been a lot of forensic analysis of what happened, but probably not enough. Donald Trump beat us in the last election.”

Newsom added that the problem for Democrats is not just a matter of passing the baton between Biden and Kamala Harris.

“We have to be more culturally normal,” Newsom said. “We have to be a little less judgmental. I think our party needs to design and develop a compelling economic vision for the future that makes people feel included, to reconcile the fact that if we don’t democratize the economy, we can’t save democracy.”