Trump is threatening to hold wildfire aid hostage. Can he really do that?

Trump threatened to withhold disaster aid from California if Gov. Gavin Newsom didn't deliver more water to farmers in the state’s agriculture-rich Central Valley .

Disaster experts say the threat isn’t likely to bear fruit; FEMA has enough funding in the bank to address victims’ immediate needs.

The most Trump could do is to delay the aid process through bureaucratic channels.

Wildfires represent a lower share of FEMA ’s disaster spending than do other disasters like hurricanes and floods.

FEMA has spent an average of $345 million on infrastructure rebuilding per fire since 2015 , compared to almost $1 billion per hurricane.

FEMA may have a larger tab this time than it has in past fires, and many insurers have pulled away from places like Pacific Palisades .