US President Joe Biden, on Friday, updated the press on the federal response to recent hurricanes while making some light-hearted jokes about his Cabinet members. He stressed the administration’s focus on restoring power and clearing debris in affected states, jokingly calling Energy secretary Jennifer Granholm his “boss” and referring to vice president Kamala Harris as “the president.”
During the briefing, Biden acknowledged the severe toll the hurricanes have taken on states such as North Carolina and Florida.”Our hearts go out to all those folks who’ve lost not only personal property, but their homes and some lost lives and are grieving after the aftermath of the tornadoes, brutal wind, record downpours and historic flooding,” he said, as quoted by Fox News.
Hurricane Milton has caused an estimated $50 billion in damages, while North Carolina officials confirmed at least 92 fatalities from Hurricane Helene. In Florida, eight people were reported dead after Milton spawned four tornadoes in St Lucie County, with millions of residents still without power.
Biden praised the efforts by Florida governor Ron DeSantis, which enabled 50,000 power line workers to restore electricity to 1 million customers. The president assured that the federal government, through FEMA, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Guard, is fully engaged in rescue and recovery efforts.
During his speech, Biden paused briefly before Granholm reminded him to pass the microphone to the vice president. He grabbed Granholm’s hand and said, “She’s my boss here,” before jokingly correcting himself when he referred to Harris as “the president.”
Before giving the floor to Harris, Biden confirmed his administration would seek additional funding from Congress for hurricane recovery. “We’re going to need a lot of help. We need a lot more money,” he said.
Vice President Harris, speaking via teleconference, outlined the federal efforts to deliver food, water, medical supplies, and generators to affected areas. She also mentioned her talks with Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about preventing price-gouging in disaster zones.
“We continue to coordinate resources with local and state authorities, including food, water, medical supplies and generators,” Harris said, assuring that the administration would “work with teams on the ground to restore water and power as quickly as possible in the coming days and weeks.”
Harris added, “President Biden and I will make sure that the communities that are there on the ground and have been affected will have the resources they need not only to respond to the storm, but also to recover.”
Harris’s comments come amid tension with governor DeSantis, who refused her call about the hurricane response, saying she had “no role” in the process.
“We are in this for the long haul,” she said, reaffirming the administration’s dedication to recovery efforts in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.