October 10 2024 – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has defended himself vehemently against Vice President Kamala Harris who has accused him of mishandling the state’s hurricane relief efforts. Harris had previously claimed DeSantis was engaged in “political games” by refusing to return her calls on the federal response to Hurricane Milton, which hit earlier this week.
DeSantis retaliated in a press conference by saying Harris “has no role in this process” and that he’s never received a call from her on hurricane recovery in Florida.
“I didn’t know she had called,” DeSantis said. “She’s never called on any of the storms we’ve had since she’s been vice president until apparently now. It wasn’t anything that anybody in my office did in terms of saying it was political. The fact is, she’s not involved in this process.”
DeSantis pointed out that he has been in direct contact with President Joe Biden and FEMA regarding the state’s disaster recovery efforts. “Every request that we’ve made has been answered,” DeSantis confirmed. He went on to praise the federal response, saying, “We have gotten what we need from the feds, and the president has approved what we asked for. I’m thankful for that.”
Harris Responds, Alleges “Political Gamesmanship”
Earlier this week, at a campaign fundraiser, Harris attacked DeSantis for “not answering calls” from her office after the hurricane.
“People are in desperate need of support right now, and playing political games in these crisis situations is just utterly irresponsible,” Harris said. “It is about political gamesmanship, instead of doing the job you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first.”
Harris asserted that her office tried to contact DeSantis about federal aid but was left untouched by the governor’s staff.
DeSantis Refutes Claims of Political Motives
DeSantis, however, condemned Harris’s remarks as political in nature, saying his attention is still on getting Floridians out of the hurricane. “My focus is exactly where it should be – on the people of Florida,” DeSantis remarked. “This is not about politics. We are getting the job done.”
He further noted that Harris’s presence in the disaster recovery is constrained, and that her efforts to jump into the conversation are pointless. “Harris is not even in the chain of command. The idea that I should be worrying about her when I’m focused on the task at hand is quite frankly absurd,” DeSantis added.
DeSantis’s comments are symptomatic of an intensifying confrontation between the Biden administration and the state bureaucracy following natural disasters. In advance of the 2024 presidential election, disaster response, recovery and political responsibility is on both sides.
As Hurricane Milton continues to wreak havoc across Florida, putting millions on the power grid and causing flooding and wind damage to hundreds of communities, DeSantis has asked people to remain focused on relief efforts and let political distractions take care of themselves.
To read more on hurricane recovery, please see CNN and Fox News.
