Trump moves to accelerate 2025 L.A. wildfire recovery through federal action: 'Addressing State and Local Failures'

Following ongoing criticism of California’s slow pace in rebuilding Los Angeles after the devastating 2025 Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon wildfires, President Donald Trump has issued a second executive order designed to fast-track reconstruction. 

 Escalating a bitter year-long feud over disaster recovery, Trump signed the sweeping executive order (EO), titled “Addressing State and Local Failures to Rebuild Los Angeles After Wildfire Disasters,” which seeks to bypass California’s regulatory “red tape” to speed rebuilding in Los Angeles neighborhoods, with a focus on recovery in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas.

One year after the blazes destroyed over 16,000 structures and killed 31 people, the White House reported that fewer than 10 homes have been fully rebuilt — a statistic the president blames squarely on state and local obstruction. Central to the administration’s grievance is that “duplicative and obstructive” permitting regulations have stalled recovery efforts.

The White House announcement leveled harsh criticism at Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Los Angeles Democrat Mayor Karen Bass, accusing state and local officials of neglecting essential forest management and mismanaging water infrastructure.

 

This latest directive also builds upon a January 2025 action. In that order, the Trump administration argued that California’s stringent environmental and water-management policies were directly responsible for intensifying the wildfires’ severity.

The move immediately drew sharp condemnation from Newsom, who accused the GOP administration of withholding disaster aid and orchestrating an “unprecedented federal takeover” of local permitting authority.

Appearing to abandon any pretense of professionalism, Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos also stunned reporters after declaring that President Trump “is a clueless idiot” in response to the EO. She asserted that the federal government manages more than half of California’s forests, while the state is responsible for just 3%, USA Today reported.

 

The EO further directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to develop regulations within 90 days that would allow builders to “self-certify” compliance with health and safety standards.

The action is intended to preempt local authority by bypassing city and state permitting processes deemed “unduly obstructive.” It also aims to expedite environmental reviews, streamlining waivers under federal environmental and historic preservation laws, and finally, to scrutinize state funds by ordering a comprehensive federal audit of California’s Hazard Mitigation Grant funds.

The approximately $3 billion in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds, which the Trump administration argues California is “hoarding” through bureaucratic mismanagement and “arbitrarily” awarded projects, are another major point of contention. While the White House says this unspent balance is proof of state-level incompetence that justifies a 60-day federal audit and potential clawbacks, Newsom’s office argues the administration is misrepresenting how these funds work.

 

Furthermore, Newsom claims that the administration is using this $3 billion as a political distraction to justify withholding disaster aid needed for immediate reconstruction in Los Angeles.

California has faced criticism for being governed by officials perceived as prone to fraud and more focused on performative gestures than meaningful action for residents, including the homeless. Last week, federal authorities arrested the executive director of a South Los Angeles–based charity, accusing him of orchestrating a $23 million fraud scheme that diverted taxpayer funds meant for the city’s homeless population to fund a lavish lifestyle.

“American families and small businesses affected by the wildfires have been forced to continue living in a nightmare of delay, uncertainty, and bureaucratic malaise as they remain displaced from their homes, often without a source of income, while State and local governments delay or prevent reconstruction by approving only a fraction of the permits needed to rebuild,” President Trump stated in the order.

 

In his continued pushback, Newsom described the order as useless and argued that the administration is attempting to seize local control while failing to deliver aid.

“An executive order to rebuild Mars would be just as useful,” Newsom posted on social media. “The Feds need to release promised funding, not try to take over local permit approval. The main obstacle is communities not having the money to rebuild because this administration is withholding aid.”

The governor’s office also later asserted that the Golden State has already issued over 1,600 permits, while emphasizing that the federal government is “mischaracterizing” the pace of progress.

The battle over L.A.’s recovery has pushed Sacramento-White House relations to an all-time low. Beyond the smoke and ash of the historic 2025 fires, a new conflict has emerged: a bitter fight over federalism and disaster management that threatens to leave residents caught in the crossfire of a political stalemate.