Washington, DC - Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday said that "conditions" should be imposed on aid sent to help California respond to raging fires in the Los Angeles area.

Johnson is now joining a chorus of Republicans who are using the wildfires in California to strike up a political battle with the state's Democratic administration, led by Governor Gavin Newsom.

"I think there should probably be conditions on that aid," Johnson told CNN's Manu Raju while walking the halls of Congress.

"That's my personal view. We'll see what the consensus is. I haven't had a chance to socialize that with any of the members over the weekend because we've all been very busy, but it'll be part of the discussion."

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Johnson claimed that leaders at the state and local level in California "were derelict in their duty" when it comes to water resource and forest management in the lead up to the fires, which have killed at least 24 people so far.

Republicans jumped on stories of firefighters finding that water hydrants had dried out, but experts have pointed out that the problems have less to do with water management than with wider, enduring infrastructure issues.

"It does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty, and in many respects. So, that's something that has to be factored in."

The comments echoed those of President-elect Donald Trump, who has repeatedly taken to Truth Social to criticize Governor Newsom and accuse legislators of "gross incompetence."

"To Gavin Newscum: RELEASE THE WATER FROM UP NORTH," Trump posted late last night, referring to the governor as "Newscum."

"MILLIONS OF GALLONS A DAY. WHAT’S TAKING YOU SO LONG. SHOULD HAVE DONE IT EIGHT YEARS AGO, AND YOU WOULD HAVE HAD NO FIRE PROBLEMS TODAY. GROSS INCOMPETENCE!"