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November 12, 2018

Trump Blames "Forest Management" for Fires and Threatens to Cut Aid
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President Trump responded to the fires by blaming California officials
and threatening to cut off federal aid. Early Saturday morning, Trump
tweeted, "There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest
fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions
of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of
gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed
payments!" Trump's tweet drew outrage from first responders and state
officials. California Professional Firefighters President Brian Rice
called Trump's tweet "Ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning," adding,
"At a time when our every effort should be focused on vanquishing the
destructive fires and helping the victims, the president has chosen
instead to issue an uninformed political threat aimed squarely at the
innocent victims of these cataclysmic fires."


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