CALIFORNIA/NATURAL DISASTERS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has repeatedly used his bully pulpit to threaten California’s federal funding, but the government — and his own party in Congress — don’t seem to be listening. After Trump’s latest threat over the weekend to withdraw funding, some feared the president may punish the Democratic-led state during one of its deadliest environmental disasters in modern history. But if recent history and the response from lawmakers are any guide, there is little reason to believe federal payments for disaster relief will be cut off. Trump himself in a late Monday [11-12-18] tweet said that he had just approved ‘an expedited request for a Major Disaster Declaration’ for California…On the ground in California, officials say the conciliatory language in Monday night’s tweet is more in line with the administration’s swift and cooperative response in recent days as firefighters battle one the worst spates of fires in the state’s history.”
–Ben Schreckinger and Chrostopher Cadelago, “Trump’s California rants belie feds’ quick disaster response,” Politico, November 12, 2018 9:48 pm