Trump Nudges Newsom Aside to Speed Rebuilding After LA Wildfires

Trump Issues Executive Order to Break the Logjam

President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order aimed at jumpstarting the rebuilding of homes destroyed by the devastating January 2025 wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The order is designed to cut through what the White House called unnecessary and obstructive red tape that has left thousands of families unable to return home more than a year after the fires. Trump made clear that he believes state and local leadership failed before, during, and after the disaster, and that federal action is now needed to get results.

The order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to create new regulations that override state and local permitting procedures for wildfire rebuilding projects that use federal funds. Under the new framework, builders would be allowed to self certify that they meet substantive health, safety, and building standards, rather than waiting months for local permit approvals.

The order also tells federal agencies to fast track or waive environmental, historic preservation, and natural resource reviews that can delay rebuilding. Agencies are instructed to use all available authority under federal law to keep projects moving, while still ensuring public safety.

Money and Federal Authority Involve

While the order does not immediately release new rebuilding cash, it directly affects billions of dollars already tied to the recovery. Trump also ordered an audit of nearly $3 billion in unspent Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds awarded to California. Within 60 days, federal officials must determine whether those funds were used properly and whether conditions should be placed on future funding or whether money should be recovered.

This move represents a major assertion of federal authority over what is normally a state and local permitting process. The administration argues that when federal disaster dollars are involved and local governments fail to deliver results, Washington has both the right and responsibility to step in.

The Palisades and Eaton fires burned nearly 40,000 acres, killed 31 people, and destroyed about 13,000 residential properties. Cleanup took roughly seven months and removed more than 2.6 million tons of debris from over 9,500 properties. Estimated property damage ranges from $53 billion to as high as $131 billion.

Despite repeated promises from state and local leaders to rebuild quickly, fewer than a dozen homes had been fully rebuilt one year after the fires. About 900 homes were under construction, leaving the vast majority of displaced families still waiting.

Supporters of the president say the executive order reflects Trump’s frustration with what they see as chronic mismanagement by California leaders. They argue that families have been trapped in limbo by slow permitting, high fees, and endless reviews, even after emergency waivers were announced. To them, Trump’s move is about putting homeowners first and ending a process that has clearly failed to deliver real-world results.

Newsom Pushes Back

California Governor Gavin Newsom dismissed the order as ineffective and mocked the idea that the federal government could issue local rebuilding permits. He pointed to more than 1,600 permits issued and said the real problem is a lack of federal disaster funding, including a $33.9 billion aid request that has not yet been approved. Newsom argues that communities do not need a federal takeover but rather more money to close the gap between insurance payouts and actual rebuilding costs.

But Newsom’s incompetence is highlighted here, he has no choice but to dance and sing as his constituents find help at the Federal level.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other detractors labeled the order a political stunt, saying permitting is already moving faster than before the fires and that money, not paperwork, is the main obstacle. Survivor advocates echoed that concern, noting that many families cannot rebuild because insurance settlements fall far short of construction costs. Surveys show nearly one third of survivors cite money as their biggest barrier, compared with about one fifth who point to permitting delays.

Trump’s Message: Enough Is Enough

From the administration’s perspective, the numbers speak for themselves. Tens of thousands of people are still displaced, only a handful of homes are fully rebuilt, and billions of dollars sit unused. Trump’s order reflects a belief that California’s leadership has had more than a year to deliver and has failed. By taking control of the permitting process and demanding accountability for disaster funds, Trump is signaling that he is done waiting and is determined to force progress so families can finally rebuild their homes.