In the News
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman announced Thursday two new disaster relief bills aimed at safeguarding crowdfunding resources for survivors of natural disasters, including those of recent Los Angeles wildfires.
Friedman’s bipartisan legislation, the Don’t Penalize Victims Act, is co-led by U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi and would ensure donations like those from GoFundMe don’t make victims ineligible for benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
A California congresswoman is looking to help fire victims who are receiving less federal funding after accepting money via crowdfunding.
Many fire victims from January's wildfires received money through GoFundMe accounts, but did the generosity of others actually lower the federal aid funding for them?
"Your house was gone, but you had to figure out how to get back," said Dot Wong, who lost her home in the Eaton Fire.
She said friends wanted to help her by setting up a GoFundMe page.
The Trump administration appears to be taking aim at the California Coastal Commission, suggesting the agency be abolished as a condition for giving the state tens of billions of dollars in federal wildfire aid.
WASHINGTON — After decades as an independent agency, the U.S. Postal Service could soon face a radical change under the Trump administration. Last month, President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he was considering ending the agency’s independent status, saying he wants a U.S. Postal Service “that doesn’t lose massive amounts of money.”
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) lambasted House Republicans on March 11 after they refused to consider an amendment she authored and sought to be included in a six-month budgeting plan approved to avoid a government shutdown.
The amendment aimed to stop the Trump administration from illegally withholding or diverting funds appropriated in the legislation by reaffirming Congress’ power to allocate funds. The amendment was co-sponsored by 60 Democratic members of the House of Representatives.
As the Trump administration continues to threaten federal funding for a wide array of departments, programs and projects across the country, local officials and transit experts are on alert to understand how or if Metro will be affected, as the city waits for millions of allocated dollars to expand the rail lines, as well as an answer to a multibillion dollar request for the 2028 Olympics.
Democrats are looking to prevent President Donald Trump from “illegally withholding or diverting funding” appropriated in the Republican-led continuing resolution set for a vote on Tuesday through an eleventh-hour amendment.
Introduced by Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) on Monday, the amendment would ensure that the president “recognizes, and states that they will uphold, Congress’ constitutional authority to authorize and appropriate funds and will disburse those funds faithfully and in full.”
- Rep. Friedman said the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze funds previously approved by Congress threaten the L.A. River revitalization effort and other projects.
- An Army Corps’ spokesperson said the agency recognizes the importance of the L.A.
Gesturing toward the nearly completed Wilshire/La Brea Metro station, U.S. Representative Laura Friedman warned "The Trump Administration proposed cuts to federal investments to support this stop, this train stop that is months away from opening."
"How crazy is that?"
Metro is extending the D Line subway to Westwood, with the first of three new sections expected to open later this year.