UNITED States president-elect Donald Trump is visiting Los Angeles to oversee the damage caused by wildfires. Los Angeles is in a serious crisis. Tens of thousands of Americans have lost their homes due to rising homelessness, devastating wildfires, and unaffordable housing.

The city is struggling, and the resources to assist those in need are insufficient.

Families are living in shelters, cars, or on the streets, while the government continues to send billions of dollars overseas to oppressive regimes like the one in Israel.

There is no dearth of people in the US who expect that the financial aid provided to Ukraine and Israel by the Biden administration would be revoked once Trump re-enters the White House later this month. These funds should be redirected to address the pressing needs of Americans rather than fuelling wars in regions far away.

Nobody is against the idea of helping others, but, then, charity begins at home.

It is time to prioritise the wellbeing of American citizens who are suffering in their own communities.

As such, the aid worth billions of dollars that currently goes to Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere could be used to fund programmes to provide housing, mental health services, job training to the American people and target infrastructure improvement all across the US.America`s strength lies in its people, and the government cannot afford to neglect its own citizens in favour of international priorities. Los Angeles is burning, figuratively and literally, and we need a leadership that puts America and the Americans first.

People in the US are pinning their hopes on Trump to take action and make a strong statement by redirecting thesefundstoaddressthe urgentneeds of the Americans. It is time for the US to invest in rebuilding lives, communities and hope in the nation as a whole.

DawarNagvi Yorba Linda, USA