Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts has attributed the wildfires in Los Angeles to a climate change “disaster” fueled by President-elect Donald Trump’s support for the oil industry, warning that further destruction and loss of life are inevitable as a result.
“Trump has been bought for $1 billion by Big Oil. Just a payoff to kill the IRA and the Green New Deal. We know what will happen. More fires, more climate disasters, more death. The LA fires are preview of coming atrocities,” Markey posted on X on Saturday.
In another tweet on Friday, the progressive senator accused Trump of exacerbating the situation by backing increased natural gas drilling.
As wildfires continue to ravage thousands of acres across Los Angeles, Markey has criticized Republicans for their opposition to the Green New Deal.
“Republicans say that we can’t afford a Green New Deal,” Markey wrote in another post. “What we really can’t afford is to sacrifice our lives, homes, and communities in fires fueled by the climate crisis. We need a system change, not climate change.”
Markey, who spent two decades in the U.S. House before becoming Massachusetts’ junior senator in 2013, co-sponsored the Green New Deal alongside New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2019. The proposal aimed to shift the nation to zero-emission energy sources, though it failed to pass in the Senate.
While Markey blames climate change for the devastating fires — which have already resulted in at least 16 fatalities and destroyed thousands of homes since the first fire erupted in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday — Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Chief Kristin Crowley has admitted that city officials “failed” to provide her department with the necessary resources.
Trump, on the other hand, has directed blame toward California Governor Gavin Newsom, suggesting that Newsom’s environmental policies are responsible for the water shortages that are hindering the LAFD’s firefighting efforts.
The president-elect has repeatedly criticized California’s wildfire management, including as recently as September 2024, as reported by Breitbart News.
Trump has since called for Newsom’s resignation, stating that it is “all his fault!”