JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Biden turned political during a briefing on looming Hurricane Milton, accusing former President Trump of leading “an onslaught of lies” about the federal government’s much-criticized storm response.
Mr. Biden held an unusual live briefing from Washington with FEMA and National Hurricane Center officials Wednesday afternoon, sharing the stage with Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced him on the 2024 ticket after fellow Democrats pushed him out of the race.
Ms. Harris delivered a statement and asked questions throughout the briefing.
The administration, she said, “is working around the clock to prepare for Hurricane Milton and to ensure that people are safe, including ensuring federal, state and local resources are being coordinated in a smart and efficient and effective way.”
Mr. Biden dedicated part of the emergency briefing to go after Mr. Trump, who is tied with Ms. Harris in most national and battleground state polls. He attacked the former president for criticizing FEMA’s spending on illegal immigrants and for accusing the Biden administration of neglecting communities in western North Carolina that were devastated by flooding caused last month by Hurricane Helene.
“Over the last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken, and it’s harmful to those who need help the most. There’s simply no place for this to happen. Former President Trump has led the onslaught of lies.”
Mr. Biden called the claims “stuff off the wall,” but critics point to FEMA’s budget, which has dedicated more than $1 billion to shelter illegal immigrants over the past few years, much of it in 2024.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week FEMA was out of money to provide relief for future disasters beyond Helene, intensifying the criticism over government spending.
On Wednesday, Mr. Mayorkas reversed himself and told Mr. Biden during the briefing, “We certainly do have all the resources. We are well positioned to continue to respond to Hurricane Helene, to respond to Hurricane Milton.”
Milton is predicted to make landfall as a powerful hurricane as early as Wednesday night and is currently churning toward Florida’s west coast with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour. The leading edge of the storm Wednesday afternoon was already impacting the coast and inland, where several tornadoes touched down.
For Mr. Biden, Ms. Harris and the administration, Milton’s approach is giving them another major challenge following the administration’s slow response to Hurricane Helene, which wiped out towns, left hundreds dead and left survivors stranded for days without help.
Mr. Biden said ahead of this storm, FEMA’s director Deanne Criswell will be stationed in Tallahassee where she will oversee the federal response.
The briefing comes nearly two weeks after Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region and then churned inland, where it caused catastrophic flooding in several states, including North Carolina. Affected residents there reported little immediate help from FEMA and were angered by Ms. Harris’ promise of $750 per person in cash disbursements.
“That’s not it,” Mr. Biden said Wednesday, defending the $750 offer. “That’s just giving them immediately what you need to get by the next day, to get a prescription, to get whatever it is.”
Mr. Mayorkas chimed in, warning that “false information is only fuel for the criminal element to exploit individuals in positions of vulnerability.”
As Mr. Biden sought to defend the federal government’s disaster response ahead of Milton, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shrugged off FEMA’s role after marshaling record state resources and personnel ahead of the storm.
“FEMA is not leading this show, we are leading this show in the state of Florida,” Mr. DeSantis said. “I can tell you in Florida, we are leading this train. We’re marshaling all available resources, federal, state, and we’re supporting local and that’s the way it’s going to be so you can have confidence in that.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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