A US senator is demanding answers about billions in taxpayer funds meant to prevent wildfires before the deadly January firestorm that devastated LA County.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott urged Vice President J.D. Vance to investigate how federal wildfire prevention funds sent to California over the past decade were spent — and whether misuse left communities unprepared for the catastrophic Pacific Palisades fire — in a letter exclusively obtained by The California Post.

Scott’s letter asked Vance, who is leading the Trumpadministration’s anti-fraudeffort examining federal spending, to review whether federal dollars meant for wildfire prevention, mitigation and recovery were properly used before and after the disaster.

TheJanuary 2025 firesthat tore through Los Angeles County were among the deadliest and most destructive in California history.

At least 31 people died in the wind-driven wildfire outbreak, 12 in the Pacific Palisades fire and 19 in the Eaton Fire, which erupted hours later in Altadena.

Together, the fires burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed thousands of homes across Los Angeles County.

Scott said the scale of the devastation, combined with years of federal wildfire spending, raises serious questions about whether prevention efforts were carried out effectively.

“More than a year after the Palisades fire, thousands of families are still unable to rebuild while California leaders, who received billions in federal funds to prepare and mitigate wildfires, are now hiring PR firms to cover their tracks,” Scott said.

“When I met with victims like Rachel Schwartz, a Holocaust survivor who lost everything, or someone like Spencer Pratt, who showed me where the home he raised his kids in used to be, my heart broke.

“These victims deserve transparency and accountability. I am glad to see Vice President Vance in charge of this task force to get to the bottom of waste, fraud and abuse. What happened in California is the perfect place to start so that we can help the victims.”

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos