President Joe Biden linked the damage done by a powerful hurricane to climate change while visiting Florida on Saturday.
The Sunshine State was recently hit by Hurricane Idalia and the president went to assess the resulting damage. Both the president and the first lady also met with survivors and first responders during their time there. Biden addressed a gaggle of press while in Live Oak, Florida.
KEVIN MCCARTHY TO VISIT HAWAII TO WITNESS DAMAGE CAUSED BY WILDFIRES
“Nobody can deny the impact of climate crises — at least nobody intelligent can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. Just look around, around the nation and the world for that matter,” Biden said. “Historic floods, intense droughts, extreme heat, deadly wildfires that have caused serious damage that we’ve never seen before.”
This comes the day after the White House added $4 billion to its request for emergency spending in the wake of Idalia and the Hawaii wildfires. The Friday proposal was on top of a previously announced $12 billion request, bringing the total to $16 billion.
“These crises are affecting more and more Americans. And every American rightly expects [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] to show up when they’re needed and to help in a disaster,” Biden went on to say. “So I’m calling on the United States Congress, Democrats and Republicans, to ensure the funding is there to deal with the immediate crises, as well as our long-term commitments to the safety and security of the American people.”
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Biden previously said he would meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) personally during his trip. However, the governor’s spokesman, Jeremy Redfern, denied Friday that there were any plans for the two to meet. Instead, the president was flanked by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Live Oak Mayor Frank Davis.
The Bidens were initially slated to spend Labor Day weekend at their home near Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.
