Barger, Bass Urge Congress to Approve Additional Wildfire Recovery Funding

Cover of the investigative report (Photo – lacounty.gov)

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday that they have jointly appealed to Congressional leaders for continued federal investment to support long-term recovery efforts following the devastating Eaton and Palisades wildfires.

By News Desk

The leaders submitted a series of joint letters Tuesday to Congressional leadership, the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation, and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting supplemental disaster funding for recovery projects across Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles.

According to the letters, the requested funding would help rebuild critical public infrastructure, restore community facilities, strengthen local economies, and provide continued assistance to residents as recovery efforts continue.

“Recovery from disasters of this magnitude is a long-term commitment that requires strong partnerships at every level of government,” Barger said in a statement. “I appreciate Mayor Bass for joining me in this unified advocacy effort. My focus remains on ensuring our communities have the federal resources necessary to rebuild stronger. Our families, businesses, and neighborhoods have shown extraordinary resilience, but they cannot complete this recovery alone. Continued federal partnership is essential to helping our communities rebuild and move forward.”

Bass said the joint effort reflects a unified commitment to securing the federal resources needed to rebuild communities impacted by the January 2025 wildfires.

“From Los Angeles to Sacramento to Washington, Supervisor Barger and I have worked together to fight for the resources wildfire survivors need and deserve – and we won’t stop until every family has returned home and every business has reopened its doors,” Bass said. “The scale of this recovery requires continued assistance from every level of government to rebuild our communities and the critical infrastructure that supports them, and that’s what we’re calling for today.”

The letters build on previous federal recovery efforts and seek Congressional approval of supplemental disaster funding to support infrastructure restoration, public facilities, housing recovery, and economic revitalization in communities affected by the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires.