WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to visit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sunday to assess the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Milton and is advocating for Congress to approve additional emergency disaster funding. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris will continue her efforts in North Carolina, which is still reeling from Hurricane Helene, by attending a local church and participating in campaign activities.
Biden’s upcoming trip to Florida serves as a critical moment for him to urge Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to secure more funding for hurricane relief ahead of the Nov. 5 elections. Johnson has indicated that discussions regarding funding will occur after the election.
“I believe Speaker Johnson will understand the urgency, especially for small businesses,” Biden stated during a Friday meeting with aides focused on national hurricane relief efforts. Direct discussions between Biden and Johnson regarding this issue have yet to take place.
During his visit, Biden plans to announce a $612 million investment for six Department of Energy projects aimed at enhancing the resilience of Florida’s electric grid. This funding includes $94 million allocated for two specific projects in the state, benefiting Gainesville Regional Utilities and a collaborative initiative with Florida Power and Light.
Harris spent Saturday in Raleigh, engaging with Black community leaders and assisting volunteers in packing personal care items for those affected by Hurricane Helene.
On Sunday, Harris will be in Greenville, speaking during a church service as part of her campaign’s “Souls to the Polls” initiative aimed at mobilizing Black voters in advance of Election Day. Her schedule also includes a rally to discuss her economic policies and mark the commencement of early voting in the state.
Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are slated to campaign in battleground states including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina throughout the coming week.
With less than a month until the elections, the recent hurricanes have further complicated the competitive landscape of the presidential race.
Republican nominee Donald Trump has criticized the Biden administration’s response to the storms, particularly its handling of the situation in North Carolina post-Hurricane Helene, while Biden and Harris have countered Trump’s claims surrounding disaster relief inaccuracies.
Biden has expressed the need for expedited congressional action to ensure that the Small Business Administration and FEMA are sufficiently funded for the ongoing hurricane season, emphasizing that Hurricane Milton alone is estimated to have caused $50 billion in damages.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has assured that FEMA can meet immediate demands brought about by the storms, but he cautioned that additional funding is essential for sustained operations throughout the hurricane season.
In response, Johnson has asserted that existing funds are adequate for current needs, with a commitment to revisit the funding issue in a post-election session.
Notably, tensions have surfaced between Vice President Harris and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regarding the federal response to the hurricane, with both sides accusing each other of political maneuvering amid the crisis.
Harris’ office recently noted that DeSantis had been unresponsive to her outreach, while DeSantis claimed ignorance of any attempt to contact him, suggesting that Harris had been inactive in the disaster response until her campaign activities began.
Biden expressed hope to meet DeSantis during his Florida visit, highlighting their cooperative history.
Biden will conduct an aerial survey of the damage between Tampa and St. Pete Beach and receive briefings from federal, state, and local officials. He also plans to meet with residents and first responders affected by the hurricane.
Hurricane Milton struck Florida as a powerful Category 3 storm on Wednesday, resulting in at least 10 fatalities and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity.
Officials acknowledge that the impact could have been far worse without the proactive evacuation efforts. The destruction from Hurricane Helene just two weeks prior likely influenced residents’ decisions to evacuate.
