Wendy Sherman: “My district has been hit by wildfires that constitute the greatest fire, in terms of total property damage, in the…”

“My district has been hit by wildfires that constitute the greatest fire, in terms of total property damage, in the history of America. There are those who say that California should not get aid unless we change--get this--our voter registration laws. Different States have different voter registration processes, and they are all wonderful. They tend to work pretty well, and I disagree with some of them. Why condition aid? I have been on this floor time and again and voted for aid to Louisiana when they were hit with horrific hurricanes. I never once said, no, let's turn to hurricane victims and tell them to keep sleeping on their cousin's couch for months and years until Louisiana changes its abortion laws. I disagree with Louisiana's abortion laws. A woman ought to have the right to choose. I believe that strongly. It never occurred to me to turn to individual families and deny them the aid they need to overcome a giant disaster and to hold them hostage in an effort to get their State legislatures to change their statutes. I hope this House will not do the same to California. Then, we are told that the fires in the Palisades relate to California's statewide water management system. This is absolutely absurd. In Los Angeles County, our reservoirs are full to overflowing. We have plenty of water to live our lives. Even in the middle of the fires, no Los Angeleno was told to take a short shower or not to water their plants outside.…”