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A US senator is demanding answers about billions in taxpayer funds meant to prevent wildfires before the deadly January firestorm that devastated LA County.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott urged Vice President J.D. Vance to investigate how federal wildfire prevention funds sent to California over the past decade were spent — and whether misuse left communities unprepared for the catastrophic Pacific Palisades fire — in a letter exclusively obtained by The California Post.
Scott’s letter asked Vance, who is leading the Trump administration’s anti-fraud effort examining federal spending, to review whether federal dollars meant for wildfire prevention, mitigation and recovery were properly used before and after the disaster.
The January 2025 fires that tore through Los Angeles County were among the deadliest and most destructive in California history.
At least 31 people died in the wind-driven wildfire outbreak, 12 in the Pacific Palisades fire and 19 in the Eaton Fire, which erupted hours later in Altadena.
Together, the fires burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed thousands of homes across Los Angeles County.
Scott said the scale of the devastation, combined with years of federal wildfire spending, raises serious questions about whether prevention efforts were carried out effectively.
“More than a year after the Palisades fire, thousands of families are still unable to rebuild while California leaders, who received billions in federal funds to prepare and mitigate wildfires, are now hiring PR firms to cover their tracks,” Scott said.
“When I met with victims like Rachel Schwartz, a Holocaust survivor who lost everything, or someone like Spencer Pratt, who showed me where the home he raised his kids in used to be, my heart broke.
“These victims deserve transparency and accountability. I am glad to see Vice President Vance in charge of this task force to get to the bottom of waste, fraud and abuse. What happened in California is the perfect place to start so that we can help the victims.”
Scott has already played a direct role in examining the disaster.
Earlier this year, Scott publicly called for scrutiny of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over allegations that an official after-action report on the Palisades fire was altered to soften criticism of the city’s response. In a post on X, Scott suggested the changes could amount to a cover-up and urged federal officials to look into the matter.
Scott and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson also launched a congressional investigation into the Palisades fire response, raising questions about whether state and local officials were adequately prepared for the emergency.
The senators later traveled to Pacific Palisades, touring the burn zone and meeting with residents who lost their homes. During the visit, Scott spoke with victims including mayoral candidate and Palisades fire survivor Spencer Pratt, who showed the senator the lot where his family home once stood.
Wildfire prevention funding is intended to reduce the risk that fires ignite or spread rapidly. Federal and state programs typically support projects such as clearing dry brush and vegetation, creating fuel breaks, conducting controlled burns and helping communities prepare for wildfire threats.
Scott said he has already requested records from multiple federal agencies, including the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Department of Transportation, seeking details about wildfire prevention and disaster funding sent to California.
His latest letter asks Vance’s anti-fraud task force to determine whether federal dollars intended for wildfire prevention, mitigation and recovery were properly spent, and whether any misuse of those funds affected California’s ability to prepare for or respond to the fires.
“The American people deserve to know whether federal funds were appropriately used,” Scott wrote in the letter, “and whether waste, fraud or abuse affected the ability of officials to keep people safe.”
English (US)