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Why California still has FEMA funding despite President Trump's tweet

During the partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump sent out a tweet that could have completely changed recovery efforts for Camp Fire survivors.

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A week into the New Year, and during the partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump sent out a tweet that he ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] to not send money to California.

However, MuckRock received a response to their Freedom of Information Act Request from FEMA on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, that said that there was no documentation of Trump telling FEMA to stop giving money to California.

After California's deadliest and most destructive fire, Trump began threatening to cease payments to California until they fixed the forest management problem. However, a majority of the fire management in California should be performed by the U.S. Forest Management Service, an agency under the Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. 

Some survivors of the Camp Fire felt angered and slighted by Trump threatening their funding in the face of an emergency. Butte County was one of several California counties that had a majority of residents vote for Trump in the 2018 election.

U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) has been chronicling the aid FEMA has offered to help the thousands of people affected by the Camp Fire. He says they have been vital in helping the survivors of the Camp Fire.

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