Lee Zeldin and Kelly Loeffler gave a huge boost of confidence Wednesday to fire victims in LA who have been frustrated by delays.

The EPA and SBA chiefs were in Pacific Palisades on their first visit to carry out President Donald Trump’s executive order on rebuilding the community.

Both agencies have credibility with local residents, after moving swiftly at “Trump Speed” to clean up after the fire. 

The EPA cleared the hazardous waste of the Palisades and Eaton fires in 28 days, instead of 90. (The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also cleared the debris in seven months, instead of 18.)

The SBA gave loans to many residents that were a crucial financial lifeline. Now, it will help residents “self-certify” their own rebuilding permits if local officials fail to act within 60 days.

The officials also had a message for the state and local government: federal aid will be tied to reforms.

Zeldin warned that Washington wants to see California making changes — from water management to forestry to emergency services — before sending more money.

“In order to get your list of asks … there might be a reckoning and going through a list of reforms,” Zeldin told a roundtable of residents.

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Fitness guru Jillian Michaels, a local resident, agreed with that. 

She noted that California’s environmental regulations had likely prevented firefighters from extinguishing a January 1, 2025, blaze that became the Palisades Fire six days later.

She wanted the federal government to cut through state and local red tape, and “establish conditions to protect the people of California against these kinds of regulations.”

Zeldin later told reporters that Governor Gavin Newsom had pursued “a terrible strategy” of asking for billions of dollars while insulting the president for the sake of his own presidential aims.

Newsom had, he implied, put his own political ambitions ahead of helping fire victims.

The governor’s $34 billion request includes $2 billion in proposed tax credits for new “affordable” housing.

But as residents of a local mobile home park told Zeldin, there’s no need for that. All they want is the “affordable housing” they lived in before the fire.

Zeldin urged California to go back to the drawing board and ask for “essential” funds, not “aspirational” sums.

American taxpayers don’t want to throw good money after bad.

Part of the answer may be a “special master” who would oversee federal fire aid in California. That would give the federal government the confidence to unlock more funds.

Zeldin also wasted no time blasting insurance companies that had yet to honor their obligations to fire victims, warning them that the administration was watching.

And he noted that he had met with LA Mayor Karen Bass and LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. He described the meetings as frank and productive.

Zeldin, Loeffler, and other federal officials brought a sense of leadership and commitment to the fire zone that has been sorely lacking.

The real work is just beginning. But President Trump appears to be keeping his promise to Pacific Palisades.