President Joe Biden on Friday stated he believes his administration is “breaking via with the reality” in the case of misinformation surrounding the federal response to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
Although Biden additionally continued his vocal criticism of former President Donald Trump, who he stated was “not singularly guilty” for the proliferation of false claims in latest weeks however “has the largest mouth.”
The feedback got here as Biden met with Vice President Kamala Harris, Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and different officers on the White Home to debate the back-to-back storms that ravaged Florida, North Carolina and different components of Southeast.
The president will journey to Florida on Sunday to go to areas impacted by Hurricane Milton, the White Home introduced.
Biden has referred to as on lawmakers to return to Washington to cross sure further catastrophe support funding, although stated he hasn’t but spoken to Home Speaker Mike Johnson instantly on the problem.
“I’ve spoken to Republicans who need to communicate with Speaker Johnson, and I feel Speaker Johnson goes to get the message that he is obtained to step up, significantly for small companies,” Biden stated.
Mayorkas stated FEMA will likely be ready meet speedy wants from the 2 storms. Funding is working low for the Small Enterprise Administration’s catastrophe mortgage program, nonetheless, Biden stated in a letter to lawmakers final week.
President Joe Biden supplies an replace on the federal authorities’s response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene, on the White Home, Oct. 11, 2024, in Washington.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP through Getty Photographs
Biden beforehand surveyed injury in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida within the wake of Hurricane Helene, which left greater than 230 individuals lifeless and tons of extra displaced.
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Class 3 storm on Wednesday night. At the very least 16 individuals have been killed within the storm and hundreds of thousands stay with out energy.
Biden has spoken to quite a few state and native officers, together with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who he stated was “very cooperative.” Requested if he would meet with DeSantis on Sunday, Biden stated sure as long as the governor was out there.
The White Home has forcefully pushed again on any false claims in regards to the federal storm response, together with how a lot support victims can obtain. Biden and Mayorkas stated the misinformation has hampered FEMA’s capacity to assist individuals affected by the destruction and is even leading to threats towards responders on the bottom.
When requested if the storm misinformation was a part of a brand new regular for the nation, Biden stated it could be “for some excessive individuals however I do not suppose it is what the nation is about.”
“We’re breaking via with it. We’re breaking via with the reality,” he stated, happening to say he was “proud” of Republican mayors and different state officers pushing again that such falsehoods need to cease and that People are coming collectively to assist one another.
“However what bothers me probably the most is that’s there’s lots of people who get caught in these crises who’re mainly alone,” Biden stated. “You understand, widowers, individuals in hospitals, people who find themselves by themselves, and they do not know, they usually lose contact, they usually get, they usually simply get scared to demise, scared to demise. And anyway, so I feel it is — I feel those that have been spreading these lies to attempt to undermine the opposition are going to pay a worth for it.”
