California Democratic lawmakers are reportedly proposing to allocate $50 million of the state’s budget to fund litigation against the incoming Trump administration and shield illegal migrants from deportation as the state battles one of the costliest wildfire disasters in history.
The $50 million proposal comes as California Governor Gavin Newsom’s special legislative session to “Trump-proof” the state’s left-wing laws began convening Thursday. Lawmakers are reportedly planning to allocate $25 million to the state Department of Justice to provide additional funding to sue the incoming Trump administration and another $25 million in grants to immigration advocacy nonprofits seeking to shield illegal migrants from detention and deportation.
Lawmakers’ allocation of $25 million in grants to left-wing immigration advocacy nonprofits comes as an illegal migrant is accused of attempting to start fires with a flamethrower near the Kenneth Fire Thursday.
California Senate Budget Committee Chair Scott Wiener defended lawmakers siphoning off money from the state budget to fund hypothetical legal fights with the incoming Trump administration and protect illegal migrants from deportation efforts as the state is battling one of the costliest wildfire disasters in American history.
“This funding agreement cements California’s readiness to serve as a bulwark against Trump’s extremist agenda,” Wiener said in a statement obtained by POLITICO.
Lawmakers’ $25 million proposal to provide grants to left-wing immigration advocacy nonprofits comes as an illegal migrant is accused of attempting to start fires with a flamethrower near the Kenneth Fire Thursday.
The Los Angeles wildfires have destroyed more than 10,000 structures and could inflict more than $20 billion in insured losses, according to JP Morgan.
Republican California state lawmakers, led by GOP Assembly leader James Gallagher, excoriated California Democrats’ budget proposal Sunday.
“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 Sunday. “The disconnect between what Californians need and what Democrats are focused on is astounding.”
Republican California state lawmakers have called on Newsom and their Democratic colleagues to prioritize disaster relief and convene a special legislative session focused on providing aid to wildfire victims and the prevention of future wildfire disasters.
“We shouldn’t be focused on ‘Trump-proofing’ California. We should be focused on fire-proofing California,” Republican state Senate leader Brian Jones said during a floor speech last week.
President Joe Biden has pledged to cover 100% of California’s wildfire disaster costs for the first 180 days.
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