Addressing State and Local Failures To Rebuild Los Angeles After Wildfire Disasters

Executive Order 14377 of January 23, 2026

Addressing State and Local Failures To Rebuild
Los Angeles After Wildfire Disasters

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. One year ago, the California State
and Los Angeles city and county governments failed to
contain wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles and consumed
nearly 40,000 acres of homes and businesses. The State
and local governments failed to engage in responsible
forest management systems out of a misguided commitment
to naturalist and climate policies, which increased the
severity of the fires. They failed to maintain water
distribution and reservoir systems so that these
systems would be available and fully functional in case
of emergency. They then failed to quickly communicate
evacuation warnings and failed to act decisively or
cohesively to contain the fire once it started burning.
In fact, Mayor Karen Bass was not in Los Angeles to
respond to the crisis because she was traveling abroad.
This marked one of the greatest failures of elected
political leadership in American history, from enabling
the wildfires to failing to manage them, and it
continues today with the abject failure to rebuild.

While the Biden Administration made big promises,
debris removal did not actually begin until my
Administration, through Executive Order 14181 of
January 24, 2025 (Emergency Measures to Provide Water
Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response
in Certain Areas), initiated the fastest debris-removal
operation in United States history. The Federal
Government completed hazardous-materials sweeps and
cleared over 9,500 properties of over 2.6 million tons
of debris in just 6 months.

But since then, American families and small businesses
affected by the wildfires have been forced to continue
living in a nightmare of delay, uncertainty, and
bureaucratic malaise as they remain displaced from
their homes, often without a source of income, while
State and local governments delay or prevent
reconstruction by approving only a fraction of the
permits needed to rebuild.

The Federal Government has approved numerous individual
relief claims to provide financial support directly to
owners of homes and businesses and help survivors
repair, rebuild, return home, reopen their businesses,
and restore their communities. But many homeowners and
businesses have been unable to use these funds as they
navigate overly burdensome, confusing, and inconsistent
permitting requirements, duplicative permitting
reviews, procedural bottlenecks, and administrative
delays at the city, county, and State levels. Elected
leaders have refused to take even the minimum action
necessary to allow many of these survivors to move
forward and rebuild their lives--the ultimate tragic
failure of the State of California and City of Los
Angeles to live up to their moral and legal obligations
to their citizens. As a result, despite the Federal
Government expeditiously clearing debris and doing its
part to support survivors, the actions of State and
local authorities have ensured that the vast majority
of the tens of thousands of homes and businesses
destroyed in the wildfires have not yet been rebuilt a
year later.

In furtherance of the Presidential Declaration of a
Major Disaster for the State of California (FEMA-4856-
DR), immediate and decisive Federal action is required
to ensure that Federal disaster assistance is delivered
and utilized

swiftly, effectively, and without obstruction by State
and local governments, to accomplish the purposes for
which it is allocated, as well as to support the
American people who have been devastated by the Pacific
Palisades and Eaton Canyon wildfires.

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration
that federally funded reconstruction projects for homes
and businesses in the wildfire-impacted neighborhoods
of the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas proceed
with the maximum speed consistent with public safety,
and that Federal assistance not be frustrated by
unnecessary, duplicative, or obstructive permitting
requirements that prevent families and businesses from
rebuilding.

Sec. 3. Preempting State Permitting Obstacles. (a) The
Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), acting
through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), and the Administrator of the
Small Business Administration (SBA) shall each consider
promulgating regulations to advance the policies of
this order. In particular, the Administrator of the SBA
and the Secretary, through the Administrator of FEMA,
shall consider promulgating regulations that:

(i) preempt State or local permitting processes, and other similar pre-
approval requirements, that each agency has found to have unduly impeded
the timely use of Federal emergency-relief funds by homeowners, businesses,
or houses of worship in rebuilding such structures following a disaster;
and

(ii) replace preempted State or local permitting regimes, or other similar
pre-approval requirements, with a requirement that builders self-certify to
a Federal designee from each agency that they have complied with all
applicable substantive State and local health and safety standards with
respect to the structure proposed to be rebuilt using Federal emergency-
relief funds.

    (b) The Secretary, through the Administrator of
FEMA, and the Administrator of the SBA shall each
publish proposed regulations under subsection (a) of
this section, if any, within 30 days of the date of
this order and final regulations within 90 days of the
date of this order. Each agency head shall further
consider whether notice and comment is unnecessary
under 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other statute.
    (c) The Secretary, through the Administrator of
FEMA, shall continue to review all repairs and
construction activities conducted under this order for
compliance with applicable health, safety, and other
substantive standards.

Sec. 4. Expediting Federal Response. (a) The Federal
Government has already taken action to expedite
administrative processes related to water delivery, as
detailed in Executive Order 14181 of January 24, 2025
(Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in
California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain
Areas). In addition, the heads of relevant executive
departments and agencies (agencies) shall seek to use
all authorities available under Federal environmental,
historic preservation, natural resource laws, or other
similar laws, including the National Environmental
Protection Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Endangered
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the National
Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.),
to expedite waivers, permits, reviews, consultations,
or approvals with respect to homes, businesses, or
other such structures proposed to be rebuilt using
Federal emergency-relief funds that are required to
facilitate Federal response and recovery actions that
will advance the policy of this order, consistent with
applicable law.

    (b) The heads of relevant agencies shall take steps
to ensure that the process for evaluating and issuing
such waivers, permits, reviews, consultations, or
approvals shall be limited to the minimum scope and
duration required to expeditiously advance the policy
of this order and implement Individual Assistance and
Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs while ensuring public
health and safety.

    (c) The heads of relevant agencies shall each
designate a senior official from their agency to ensure
timely execution of these actions without delay.

Sec. 5. Legislation. Within 90 days of the date of this
order, the Secretary, through the Administrator of
FEMA, and the Administrator of the SBA, in consultation
with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
and the White House Director of Legislative Affairs,
shall submit to the President, through the Director of
the Office of Management and Budget, legislative
proposals that enable FEMA and SBA to address
situations in which States or local governments are not
enabling timely recovery after disasters, including
through appropriate regulation.

Sec. 6. Accountability for Use of Taxpayer Dollars. (a)
The Secretary, through the Administrator of FEMA,
shall:

(i) within 30 days of the date of this order, determine what amount, if
any, of the nearly $3 billion in unspent Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
(HMGP) funding granted to California, which was awarded to mitigate
hazards, including the threat of future wildfires to the citizens of
California, was awarded arbitrarily, capriciously, or contrary to law; and

(ii) within 60 days of the date of this order, conduct a Federal audit of
California's use of HMGP funding, including of whether funded projects were
completed as approved and on time, whether projected risk reduction matched
actual outcomes, and whether California used Federal funding in a way that
demonstrably mitigated the impact of future wildfires on its citizens.

    (b) Within 30 days of the completion of the audit
described in subsection (a)(ii) of this section, the
Secretary, through the Administrator of FEMA, shall
make administrative determinations in light of the
audit's findings and recommendations, and shall enforce
such determinations by, where appropriate, imposing
future grant conditions, initiating recoupment or
recovery actions in accordance with applicable law, or
deploying oversight and technical assistance to
expedite the administration and use of HMGP funds for
individuals, families, and small businesses, to
implement this order.

Sec. 7. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise effect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
related to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.

    (d) The costs for publication of this order shall
be borne by the Department of Homeland Security.

    (Presidential Sig.)

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    January 23, 2026.