House Republicans Play Politics with Disaster Relief, Threatening Vital Programs for Virginians

Virginia Beach, VA – President Donald Trump and House Republicans are signaling that they may use federal disaster relief for California wildfire recovery as a bargaining chip to advance their plan to give tax cuts to corporations and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of hardworking middle-class  Americans. 

During discussions about their reconciliation package, Republican leaders considered pairing California wildfire relief with other measures, such as enforcing significant tax giveaways for the ultra-wealthy and cutting programs that hardworking Virginians rely on such as Medicaid and SNAP to pressure additional support. 

“Here in Virginia Beach, we know what it’s like to live under the threat of natural disasters,” said Emily Yeatts, Affordable Virginia Campaigns Director. “We have witnessed the impact of climate change each year as we see hurricane seasons grow longer and more destructive. As Trump criticizes existing support programs for not doing enough, he also threatens to withhold help from those who desperately need it. Virginians are watching and will hold our elected officials accountable if they do not stand up to Trump and his allies in Congress, who would rather profit from disaster than ensure everyone has what they need during the most traumatic times in their lives. Representative Kiggans owes it to her constituents to not play games with relief packages so that Congress can give more tax giveaways to the ultra-wealthy at the expense of thousands of hardworking Virginians who rely on programs like Medicaid and SNAP to stay afloat.”