Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is keeping the door open to conditioning California disaster aid on the state enacting voter identification laws, days after President Trump said he wanted to link the two priorities.
The comments from Johnson came during a press conference at Trump National Doral in Miami on Monday, which served as the kickoff event for the House GOP’s annual retreat. Asked if linking voter ID to California disaster aid was a “red line,” Johnson stopped short, but he signaled he was open to combining the two matters.
“We’ve got to work out the details of that,” Johnson said. “I have not spoken to the president about that issue since he said that. He’ll be here tonight, of course, for dinner with us, and that’s one of the topics of discussion.”
The Speaker went on to lament California’s track record of counting ballots at a slower pace than other states. A handful of House races in the Golden State were the last elections to be called in November. He also raised concerns with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) leadership and how the state handled the recent wildfires that have devastated the Los Angeles area. Newsom has been a frequent target of Trump since the fires broke out.
“We’ve talked about conditioning the aid that will go there, to policy changes. I think that is a common-sense notion that is supported by the vast majority of the American people who do not want to subsidize crazy California leftist policies that are dangerous for people,” Johnson said.
“Now what the terms are and the details of that, we will be working out,” he added. “But entwined about all that is the concern about election security in California, and voter ID is a matter that, again, comports with common sense, that most American people see the value in. And it will be something we’ll be trying to advance.”
Trump, during a visit to North Carolina to tour hurricane recovery efforts over the weekend, said he wanted to condition disaster aid for California on voter ID being enacted and water being released in the state.
“I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state,” Trump said. “Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen.”
Johnson previously called for placing other conditions on California fire aid, but doing so would be sure to complicate the process for sending the state assistance. Lawmakers in both parties have expressed opposition to placing any conditions on such a package.
Top House Democrats have outright said the caucus will not support conditions on disaster aid.
“Right now, what we need in California is federal aid as soon as possible. Worry about those, whatever the conditions or whatever, later. Right now it’s not time to play politics here,” Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) told The Hill earlier this week. “Just get us the support that we need.”
The early GOP opposition is a concerning sign for Johnson because he will need near unanimity from Republicans to get California aid-plus-conditions passed in the slim House GOP majority.
The discussion over California disaster aid is not the first time Trump has demanded voter ID laws be linked to a legislative effort. Last year, he called on Republicans to pair a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote — titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — with a September stopgap measure to keep the government open.
Heeding those calls, Johnson put a six-month stopgap that included the SAVE Act on the floor, but it failed to clear the chamber after 14 Republicans and all but three Democrats voted against the legislation. The group of GOP opposition included hard-liners who were against the use of a continuing resolution, and defense hawks concerned about the impact the six-month timeline would have at the Pentagon.
Johnson ultimately put a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated continuing resolution on the floor that did not include the SAVE Act, which cleared both chambers with bipartisan support and was signed by then-President Biden to avert a government shutdown.
