Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe to emphasize the opportunity for partnership with President Donald Trump ahead of his visit to Los Angeles.
Key Excerpts:
On President Trump’s visit to California:
[…] I’m glad that he’s going. A number of us invited him to come to the state, and he reciprocated, inviting us to join him to go to these fire areas. Regrettably, Senator Padilla and I have votes today in the Senate, so we aren’t able to go. But I’m glad he’s going, and I’m glad that he’s going to see the devastation, because I think, frankly, until you see it and the scope of it, whole neighborhoods gone block after block after block, it’s hard to wrap your head around. I think, I hope, he can’t help but be moved by what he’s seen. And I would hope also that we can get away from this kind of partisan talk of conditioning aid to California. We’ve never done that when it comes to our fellow citizens who are hurting. And California, frankly, has been the most generous state in terms of supporting our fellow citizens, whether they’re in red states or blue when they face disaster. So we need help right now. We’re going to help to clean up quickly, to rebuild quickly, and a lot of what the President says his goals are, to streamline that process, are our goals too. So there’s a lot for us to work on to bring relief to people.
On working with Trump to support those impacted by the fires:
[…] It should be possible. The people that are affected by this are Democrats and Republicans. It really doesn’t matter how they vote. It shouldn’t matter how they vote. And this is a great opportunity to come together in the wake of this tragedy and show that we can work together, even while we may fight over other issues. And we’ll have to fight over other issues when it comes to helping our fellow citizens who are suffering, that should bring us together. So whether it’s making sure that we have the resources to deal with this, whether it’s making sure that we can rebuild quickly, that the federal agencies involved, like EPA and FEMA provide the help and resources and work efficiently. All of that is ample ground to get together and make things happen. So I appreciate the gesture that he made in inviting myself, Senator Padilla, members of the House delegation to accompany him to California. And we hope this is the beginning of a partnership when it comes to dealing with this tragedy.
Watch the full video of the interview here.
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