Editorial: The White House demonstrates outrageous neglect of Wine Country fire victims

President Trump filed a request to Congress for supplemental disaster aid last week. There was one very conspicuous absence in the $44 billion request: California.

Northern California is suffering badly after October’s devastating fires.

Nearly 9,000 buildings were destroyed and 43 people were killed. Wine Country’s storied tourist industry has taken a huge hit, inflicting further economic damage on the region and the people who live and work in the area.

The ongoing cleanup carries its own dangers, including toxic ash and mudslides. Full recovery won’t come for years.

Mindful of the fact that the fires were among the most destructive in California history, Gov. Jerry Brown and the state’s lawmakers requested $7.4 billion from the White House.

The White House responded by refusing to part with a dime.

“Either they have forgotten about the thousands of American citizens who’ve lost everything in the California fires, or they just don’t care,” U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Saint Helena, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said in a joint statement. “This is outrageous, unacceptable, and a dereliction of the administration’s duty to help the people of California.”

Those are strong words, but these are tough times. The Trump administration’s decision to ignore California’s request is flabbergasting and — yes — outrageous.

The White House’s proposal for California called for “tax relief” for those affected. But this exhibits a fundamental misunderstanding of what disaster is, and of what fire victims need. Fire victims don’t need a tax cut sometime in the future. They need direct assistance right now, including help rebuilding their homes and businesses.

Furthermore, the fact that the White House included assistance for Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Puerto Rico suggests that the Trump administration is very aware of what disaster victims need.

It would just prefer to pick and choose which disaster victims it will help.

Since President Trump has failed to show appropriate leadership on this issue, Congress needs to step in.

In particular, California’s Republican delegation needs to be a strong voice of support for extending disaster aid to the fire victims. It’s disappointing that only a single Republican, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce of Fullerton (Orange County) signed onto Gov. Brown’s $7.4 billion request. The fallout from this disaster won’t end at the boundaries of their districts.

This commentary is from The Chronicle’s editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.