According to a New York Post exclusive, federal officials are heading to Los Angeles this week to press for faster rebuilding for families still displaced by last year’s wildfires — with the White House explicitly targeting state and local permitting delays.
Lee Zeldin, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is scheduled to be in Los Angeles on Wednesday to meet with Mayor Karen Bass, Kathryn Barger, and other officials tied to the permitting process.
“It’s essential that we hear directly from them and the public about what they believe is working, what isn’t, and how we can accelerate the rebuilding process,” Zeldin told The California Post.
Zeldin will be joined by Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the two plan to host a roundtable with homeowners and small-business owners impacted by the fires.
“Our goal is not only to listen and fully understand their challenges, but to help them move forward as rapidly as possible,” Zeldin said.
The visit follows President Donald Trump signing a seven-page executive order on January 27, 2026 aimed at accelerating rebuilding in fire-hit Los Angeles communities by directing federal agencies to cut through what the order characterizes as state and local delays.
Among other steps, the order directs the federal government to use its leverage over federal relief to speed reconstruction — including authority to bypass or streamline local permitting where it is slowing the use of federal support, according to Reuters’ summary of the directive. The White House framing is blunt: “Addressing State and Local Failures to Rebuild Los Angeles After Wildfire Disasters.”
“I want to see if we can take over the city and state and just give the people their permits they want to build,” Trump told The Post when he signed the order.
“It’s outrageous that over a year later thousands of people are still stuck in limbo, unable to rebuild their homes and businesses. As I mentioned a couple days ago, President Trump has heard the frustration and anger, he’s been fired up over it himself, and is correctly demanding that these victims be allowed to immediately rebuild their lives,” Zeldin said to The Post ahead of Wednesday’s visit.
More over at The New York Post:
Go Lee, Go!
"Federal boots are hitting the ground this week to speed up the rebuilding process for thousands of Los Angeles families displaced by last year’s devastating wildfires."https://t.co/krzSlyEmdH
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 2, 2026