On April 23, 2026, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sat down with President Donald Trump and senior White House officials, urging faster federal relief for families still trying to rebuild after the January wildfires. They pushed the administration to speed FEMA reimbursements, press insurance companies to pay claims and lean on big banks for mortgage relief so survivors can afford to rebuild.
In a post on X, Mayor Bass said she and Barger "advocated for families who lost everything" and summed up the meeting by saying "our job is to fight for our communities." The post says the pair talked through FEMA and other rebuilding funds and asked the president to pressure insurers and banks to ease the financial strain on L.A. families.
Federal push and local frustration
Trump administration officials have promoted permitting fixes as the key to speeding rebuilding, while local leaders insist money is the real bottleneck. That split was on display during a February Palisades visit by EPA and SBA leaders, which the Los Angeles Times reported, with county and city officials warning that delayed payouts and rising costs keep many homeowners from even entering the rebuilding pipeline.
The debate tracks with the president’s Jan. 27 executive order directing FEMA and the SBA to consider regulations that could preempt state and local permitting to hasten reconstruction, as outlined by AP News. Local officials and survivors' groups counter that releasing funds and holding insurers accountable would do more to accelerate recovery than a shift in permitting rules.
What Bass is asking for
Bass has urged the president to convene insurance and banking executives, speed FEMA reimbursements and support programs that bridge the gap between payouts and actual rebuilding costs. The mayor’s office has formally asked lenders to extend mortgage forbearance and explore no-interest loan funds for survivors, according to the Mayor's Office.
Administration response
The White House says the executive order is meant to "cut through bureaucratic red tape" by giving agencies authority to expedite federally funded rebuilding and consider self-certification for health and safety compliance, per a White House fact sheet. Agency leaders have since met with local officials, but the administration has not yet rolled out a detailed plan to close the insurance and financing gaps Bass highlighted.
Bass and Barger said they will keep pressing Washington to convene insurers and banks and to provide a clear timetable for FEMA reimbursements, framing Thursday’s meeting as the start of that push. Their post on X lays out the immediate asks and signals continued pressure on the administration to turn promises into payments.
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