Speaker 1: And let's bring in Democratic Congresswoman Sydney Camlager-Dove of California for more on that. Congresswoman, thank you for coming on. I know you represent parts of Los Angeles. So how critical is federal aid when it comes to helping those affected by the wildfires there?

Speaker 2: It's absolutely critical. States can only do so much. We need the largest of the federal government to help marshal in resources from across the country to help states who are dealing with natural and other kinds of disasters. Everything from getting applications in so that you can get direct aid, helping you navigate a very complicated federal system, and also protecting you from predators who are out to steal your land or price gouge, etc. So the federal government plays an important role in helping Americans.

Speaker 1: Is it possible, do you think, to shift more of the not only responsibility but jurisdiction over two states, as Trump is suggesting, where it's not that the federal government just leaves states in the dust, but maybe gives them more space to manage some of this?

Speaker 2: Well, states are always going to, you know, I think, go first in terms of prioritizing what's needed for them. But remember, not all states are like California. We're a donor state, for example. So we give a lot to the federal government, which means we should get a lot back. There are other states that can't do that. They have lower costs of living, lower tax revenue that comes in, and so they would need more help from the federal government. It's apples and oranges when you're talking about giving all of this requirement and authority to the states, and then saying they, you know, and then you get to cherry pick how you help a state based on, you know, if they're a red state or a blue state, or how many people live there, or if you like the governor. It becomes wildly inconsistent and unsafe.

Speaker 1: And I want to ask you about that, because President Trump has suggested putting restrictions on aid to California. I want to play you some of what he said about that a little while ago in North Carolina.

Speaker 3: 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. Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen. I want the water to come down and come down to Los Angeles and also go out to all the farmland that's barren and dry. The problem is it's artificial because they artificially stop the water from going onto the land. That was on the tarmac earlier in Asheville.

Speaker 1: He echoed similar ideas at the FEMA briefing, at the hurricane briefing. President Trump says California officials are preventing water from the Pacific Northwest from getting into the state because of concerns over an endangered species of fish. What's your response to that?

Speaker 2: Well, when he's here touring, I hope he visits these big spigots that I guess we're hiding and not turning on to help people get water. We have a very complicated water policy in agreement with other neighboring states. And so it is complicated. And we have been in a drought for an incredibly long time, and we have had to practice really stringent conservation methods so that we can make sure that everyone has the water that they need. He also talked about rich people needing more than 38 gallons to take a shower. So I hope the focus is on making sure that California gets the aid that it needs so that we can recover and rebuild.

Speaker 1: Could California officials have done more to prevent this disaster?

Speaker 2: Everyone can do more. I mean, you know, we need more firefighters. We need a larger budget. California, like every other state, you have to have a balanced budget. And that means you have to make decisions about what you're able to fund. If we could get more money back from the federal government, then maybe we could fund all of the things that he says we should be doing to make California more great than he thinks it is.

Speaker 1: About water management or forestry management, do you think that has been mismanaged in the past?

Speaker 2: There are always going to be fights between business and labor and the environmentalists. We can always do more, but it also means having a larger, more robust, thoughtful federal government that's working with you. I was on natural resources, and we were fighting all the time with Republicans who did not want to fund any of these agencies or departments that President Trump is talking about. They don't believe in funding forest management. They think it should all be privatized. So if you're going to shrink government, then how are you going to help states like California manage the challenges that we have?

Speaker 1: Now, your district is not far from the southern border. What impact are you seeing so far from the Trump administration's immigration crackdown?

Speaker 2: Well, I have to say these executive orders that he passed are dangerous. They're costly. It will cost taxpayers $26 billion a year more. They're unconstitutional and un-American. Folks are afraid. They want to know if their neighbor, their brother, their sister, their mother, their wife will be picked up at the grocery store and deported. You're talking about separating American families, and that is un-American.

Speaker 1: And President Trump is expected to sign the Lake and Riley Act, which passed with some Democratic support. Why did you vote against it?

Speaker 2: Because it's not going to make folks safe. In fact, it just allows people to be profiled. If you look at someone, if I look at someone, I can't tell if you're an immigrant, if you have a criminal record. And so you're leaving it to the hands of folks that might have radical ideas about who they think an American is, and you're giving them the authority to hurt people. What I also know is that her family said that they did not want this issue to become politicized, and that's exactly what Republicans have done with her death.

Speaker 1: All right, Democratic Congresswoman Sidney Kumloger-Dove, we appreciate your time today. Thank you. Thank you.