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President Biden defended his administration’s response to the historic Maui wildfires on Wednesday amid mounting criticism that he waited too long to act and that efforts to help those affected are insufficient.
Mr. Biden highlighted what he said was an immediate response to the blaze, which incinerated the historic Maul resort town of Lahaina, leaving 115 people dead and 338 missing.
Yet, he also warned residents that it may be some time before they can return to their homes because of the need to remove hazardous materials and clean up the damage.
“It’s painful. I get it. What can I tell you?” Mr. Biden said. “The one thing I can tell you is that we’re going to be with you every step of the way. We’re not walking away.”
On Wednesday, the White House announced the government will spend $95 million to help strengthen Hawaii’s electrical grid. The money will be provided through the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law that Mr. Biden signed in 2021.
The funds will help strengthen critical power transmission lines, harden utility poles that support facilities like hospitals, replace wooden utility poles with a fire-resistant material, remove trees considered hazardous, and relocate Maui’s control center, the White House said.
Mr. Biden said the spending will “make sure electricity can continue to reach homes, hospitals, water stations even during intense storms and extreme weather.”
The president said his administration responded to the wildfires with “urgency and focus.”
“We’re doing everything we can to move heaven and earth to help you recover and rebuild and return to your lives,” the president said.
Mr. Biden’s remarks come amid withering criticism from some Maui residents and Republicans who have blasted both the administration’s response and the president’s public comments on the blaze. Critics have seized on Mr. Biden telling reporters “no comment” when asked during a vacation in Delaware about the deaths, and the fact that he waited 13 days after the wildfires began to travel to the state.
They also have pointed to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre botching the names of Hawaii’s two Democratic senators and misidentifying Sen. Mazie Hirono, the state’s first female senator, as a “he,” as examples of the administration’s indifference to the devastating wildfire.
On Tuesday, the Republican-led House Oversight and Accountability Committee launched an investigation into the administration’s response to the wildfire.
In a statement, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, said the administration’s effort “raises serious questions.”
Mr. Biden said he welcomes the House probe, saying he encourages investigators to speak with Hawaii’s elected officials about the government’s response.
Separately, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, has also floated the idea of traveling to Maui and touring the devastation himself.
“I’m very concerned about the response,” Mr. McCarthy said earlier this month. “How could you lose that many Americans in today’s age? I’m going to be working with committees to investigate what went on so this never happens again.”
Mr. Biden noted Wednesday that he issued a major disaster declaration on Aug. 10 following an urgent plea from Hawaii lawmakers. He also ordered “all available federal assets” to assist first responders one day after the blaze began.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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