President Joe Biden said on Monday that people impacted by the California wildfires will receive a one-time payment of $770 "so they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula, and prescriptions."
The announcement sparked a wave of criticism and anger on social media, with many complaining that the one-time payment was not enough—especially in the Golden State, where the cost of living is higher than much of the rest of the country.
Why It Matters
The wildfires that have ravaged Southern California over the past week are among the most devastating ever in the state—and could be among the costliest in American history.
Private forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the damages and economic loss caused by the fires to be between $250 billion and $275 billion, as thousands of structures, including many homes and well-known landmarks, are thought to be destroyed.
The recovery is expected to be challenging for Californians impacted by the fires, who could face rising property insurance premiums in the coming months as they start rebuilding their homes.
What To Know
On January 8, Biden approved the Golden State's major disaster declaration, releasing federal funding to affected individuals in Los Angeles County. This includes "grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," according to the White House.
Additionally, the federal government will be paying 100 percent of the response cost to the fires for the next six months.
"We are not waiting until the fires are over to help victims," Biden said during a briefing at the Oval Office on Monday. "We are helping them all right now."
According to the president, nearly 6,000 people had registered to receive the one-time payment of $770 as of Monday and a total of $5.1 million had already gone out.
"I encourage anyone who's entitled to get assistance to go to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362," the president said.
FEMA has reported that 33,000 people have registered for disaster assistance.
"It's going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles to what it was," Biden said during the Monday briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris and emergency officials. "We are going to need Congress to step up with the funding."
The one-time payment of $770 has angered many on social media, who said the sum "won't buy much in California."
"What a slap in the face. Highest tax in this state and this is what you get," commented a YouTube user on a video of Biden's speech shared by Forbes.
Others compared the sum to the money the Biden administration sent in aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022—a topic that has riled up some conservatives in the past few years.
Since the war began, the U.S. Congress passed five bills appropriating $175 billion in response to the Russian invasion; of these, only $106 billion directly aided the Ukrainian government, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Between October 7, 2023 and October 7, 2024, the Biden administration had spent at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel for the country's war in Gaza, according to a report for Brown University's Costs of War project.
Some defended Biden for trying his best to help the California wildfires victims. "Do y'all realize that Congress has to approve more? He did what he could with just his presidential power," an Instagram user wrote in a post announcing the one-time payment.
What People Are Saying
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said on Monday: "Tragically, lives have been changed forever in just a matter of minutes. Many families may not be able to afford to rebuild or repair and return. Businesses may not be able to recover, and jobs will be permanently lost.
"Thousands of people are in desperate need of help, initially the basic and life-sustaining needs of food, water and shelter, as this tragedy unfolds. Many families will face significant unexpected costs to relocate to another area in Southern California. The recovery process will be extremely expensive and emotionally challenging in the months and years to come."
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Sunday that the fires will be one of the "worst natural disasters" in U.S. history: "I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope."
What's Next
As of Monday night, the fires were only partially contained. The Palisades fire, which had burned through over 23,000 acres, was only 14 percent contained; the Eaton fire, which had moved through more than 13,000 acres, was 33 percent contained. The Hurst fire, which has burned through nearly 800 acres, was 97 percent contained.
The blazes killed at least 24 people, and 23 people have been reported missing. Thousands are still under evacuation orders in Southern California as strong winds are expected to return to Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday, complicating firefighters' efforts to contain and extinguish the flames.
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