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(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal aid for California as it grapples with massive ongoing wildfires, and he said he would condition any funds on California changing its water management policies and approving voter identification laws.

At an event in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood hard hit by the historic blazes, Trump on Friday reiterated unfounded claims that the state’s water policies, including measures to protect an endangered fish species, have limited the flow of water to southern California and hampered efforts to fight the fires.

“We’re also surging federal resources and assistance to the state, and California must adopt the common sense policies to prevent fires, and we all know that,” the president said.

Trump also criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, sitting next to him, on the pace of recovery, which has been hampered by ongoing blazes and burnt-out electric and hybrid vehicles requiring specialized removal.

“We’re going to waive, just about essentially waive, all federal permits” to hasten rebuilding, Trump said. He also tasked his close ally Ric Grenell to help with the recovery efforts.

Bass countered that “we’re doing everything we can to expedite everything.” She and California Governor Gavin Newsom have already waived some environmental construction mandates to fast-track rebuilding.

Earlier: Trump Heads to LA After Attacking Newsom’s Wildfire Response

Trump’s remarks underscored his transactional approach to governance, and several Democratic lawmakers, including Bass and Representative Brad Sherman, pushed back. Sherman defended the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which Trump wants to potentially eliminate, and said that while he may disagree with conservative policies in other states, he wouldn’t withhold aid from people living there.

Sherman also asked Trump whether he would consider “no tariffs on building materials for the next three years,” and Trump answered, “we’ll take a look at that.”

The complex of wildfires that have swept through the Los Angeles area starting Jan. 7 are on track to be one of the costliest disasters in US history. Newsom and fellow officials are in a precarious situation as they strive to ensure aid flows while maintaining the state’s progressive ideals.

“I have a condition in California, we want them to have voter ID so the people, right now, the people don’t have a voice, because you don’t know who’s voting, and it’s very corrupt. And we also want them to release the water,” Trump said earlier in the day, before he arrived in Los Angeles.

Trump was greeted by Newsom on the tarmac when he landed in Los Angeles. Asked by a reporter about Trump’s demand on voter ID laws, Newsom said, “I have all the confidence in the world we will work that out.”

Trump also toured Pacific Palisades, where he spoke to several affected homeowners and posed for photos with firefighters.

Trump’s trip to California followed a stop earlier in the day to western North Carolina where he visited communities that were ravaged by hurricanes last year on what has been his first trip outside of Washington during his second term. Trump cited the response to the disasters in both states in his inaugural address Monday, casting them as examples of how the federal government has failed to properly manage crises at home.

Trump vowed to help rebuild communities in North Carolina, saying he would ask Congress for additional funds for clean-up efforts and pledging to overhaul FEMA. Trump suggested he might ask the state to help cover some of the recovery costs. He said he did not know how much he would ultimately request from lawmakers.

Overhauling FEMA

Trump criticized how FEMA had handled the crisis, saying it had “let the country down” and that he would sign an executive action aimed at overhauling — and potentially eliminating — the agency and that he would restrict its role in the recovery going forward.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the executive order would simply establish a council to review FEMA and advise the president on next steps for the agency.

Abolishing FEMA would dramatically reshape disaster assistance, which currently includes both grants to state governments and direct payments to disaster survivors and sees the agency deploy staff and resources both immediately after a disaster and over the longer-term recovery.

Trump earlier this week floated turning over disaster assistance to individual states rather than having FEMA respond, a proposal he reiterated on Friday.

During the presidential campaign, Trump promoted unfounded claims that FEMA had spent money on housing undocumented migrants instead of storm victims. Democrats pushed back on his claims, accusing Trump of spreading conspiracy theories and complicating efforts to deliver assistance to those affected.

Congress approved a spending package in December that included $100 billion in disaster relief, including aid for states impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, two powerful storms that tore through parts of the US southeast.

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