FEMA case management program for LA fire survivors to end Sept. 30 Play

The federal government's refusal to fund California wildfire recovery, as it normally does, is hitting Malibu even harder.

The program that helps Palisades fire survivors navigate the FEMA reimbursement process will be terminated at the end of the month because of a lack of federal funding.

The Trump administration has failed to provide the money necessary to continue the Disaster Case Management Program for the 2025 L.A. wildfires beyond Sept. 30.

The Trump appointees at FEMA did not answer requests from the Los Angeles Times about the end of the program. Instead, a spokesperson put out a nonresponse that proudly boasts of awarding more than $177.1 million in assistance to 35,155 eligible families hurt by the wildfires of last year.

That money is dwarfed by the amount that the federal government owes California fire victims — tax money that comes from California but is being held up in Washington.

The Los Angeles Times reports that California had submitted more than $1.5 billion for FEMA reimbursement from the Eaton and Palisades fires. Only $37 million in federal reimbursement has been approved.