Gavin Newsom Strikes $50 Million Deal with Dems to 'Fight Trump' as Wildfires Rage On
California Governor Gavin Newsom has struck a deal with Democrats to allocate $50 million in taxpayer funds to resist the incoming Trump administration.
The deals came as deadly wildfires continued to ravage Los Angeles as thousands of residents lost their homes, with at least 24 people dead.
The timing of funding has caused many to question Newsom’s priorities.
The California Governor announced the initiative following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election.
Newsom said Trump’s upcoming presidency necessitates additional funding for legal resistance.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom stated.
“California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”
$25 million will be allocated to the California Department of Justice (CADOJ) for legal efforts against Trump’s administration, while $25 million is set aside for immigrant protections
The state legislature is expected to vote on the funding ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
Sen. Budget Chair Scott Wiener (D-CA), who has been a vocal supporter of Newsom’s agenda, praised the measure.
“This funding agreement cements California’s readiness to serve as a bulwark against Trump’s extremist agenda,” Wiener said in a statement.
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“Senate Democrats are particularly proud to provide funding for providers of legal aid services, which know our communities’ needs best and are best positioned to defend at scale the millions of individuals and families that will be impacted by the incoming Administration’s extreme agenda.”
Republicans in California have sharply criticized the move, arguing that the state should focus resources on the wildfires.
California Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher labeled the e $50 million allocation a “slush fund.
“At a time when California should be laser-focused on responding to the devastating wildfires in LA, Democrat lawmakers’ priority is creating a $50 million slush fund to hire government lawyers for hypothetical fights against the federal government and to defend criminal illegal immigrants from being returned to their home countries,” Gallagher wrote on X.
Firefighters continue to battle blazes across the state as the death toll mounts.
Last week, Trump spoke of the ongoing issue of water dispersal in California, warning that the state was at risk from wildfires if they didn’t clear dead trees from forests.
“Los Angeles, you can’t get proper amounts of water and it’s unbelievably expensive, and you might have a house in Beverly Hills, and they’re actually thinking about rationing water. Can you believe it?” Trump told Rogan at the time.
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