(RepublicanDaily.org) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis downplayed the role of the federal government in disaster response in the aftermath of the onslaught of Hurricane Idalia, as he slammed President Joe Biden and “corporate media” for a poor response to the wildfires in Maui.
Speaking during a press conference on the state’s response to the hurricane, DeSantis, who is one of the candidates looking to become the Republican presidential nominee for next year’s presidential elections, questioned whether the federal government could be trusted at all given its lackluster response to the Maui wildfires and the massive derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, a few months back.
The governor also blasted “corporate media” for being “incurious” regarding the Maui wildfires, “I don’t see them interviewing parents who can’t find their kids,” he said, saying that it was “heartbreaking to hear some of the stories,” despite the fact that these stories are “not being publicized” by mainstream media.
DeSantis also trivialized the function of the federal government in disaster response, saying that it was merely functioning as a “checkbook” that provides reimbursements for things like debris cleanup, and merely works as a result of “programs that Congress has enacted over many, many years.” The heavy lifting, or the “nuts and bolts,” he claimed, was done by state and local governments and communities.
This was not the first time the governor has criticized the president for the administration’s response to the Maui wildfires. A few weeks ago, DeSantis scored Biden for “sitting on the beach” before heading to Maui to survey the damage and meet with locals affected by the tragedy. The president had spent a weekend ostensibly relaxing in Lake Tahoe before heading out to Hawaii as part of the government’s disaster response.
Had a Republican president done something like that, DeSantis said, Democrats would “scream bloody murder.”
DeSantis’ sentiments are also shared by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who earlier said that he would be working with certain committees in Congress to investigate what he feels was the Biden administration’s very deficient response to the tragedy in Maui.
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