President Biden is showing true presidential leadership by making sure that federal resources were there for Gov. DeSantis and Florida before Hurricane Idalia arrived.
FEMA Director Deanne Criswell told MSNBC’s Morning Joe, “I spoke with Governor Desantis before the storm hit to get a better understanding of what his concerns were going to be and that’s how we were able to posture through the emergency declaration, our resources to make sure we could come in and support. We have rapid assessment teams that are ready to go out and begin assessing the overall impact so we can make a determination if further assistance is needed. We’ll rely on technology and satellite imagery, right, we have so many tools available to us now that help us make those determinations faster than we have been able to do in years previously.”
The result of these communications is that the Biden administration already has 1,000 personnel staged in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina who are ready to get to work on providing assessments and getting the ball rolling on disaster relief as soon as the storm is over.
Video of Criswell:
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FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on the federal preparation for Idalia, "We have over a thousand federal personnel that are staged either in Florida, Georgia, or South Carolina ready to go in and help." pic.twitter.com/QcCot6j8s7
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 30, 2023
Biden Is Showing DeSantis And The Republican Party What A President Is Supposed To Do
With Gov. DeSantis being afraid to criticize Donald Trump even as he runs against him for the Republican presidential nomination, it is important to highlight the difference between Biden and Trump when it comes to disaster relief. Biden isn’t playing politics with the disaster. The President is leading and coordinating with a governor who wants to take his job, which is what Biden is supposed to do.
The President Of The United States takes an oath of office. The office and working for all of the American people comes before politics.
Biden isn’t punishing Florida because the state went for Trump in 2020. He isn’t making DeSantis say nice things about him to get aid.
Joe Biden is leading and there for people because they are Americans regardless of political beliefs, and they need help.
That is presidential leadership, and Ron DeSantis is getting an eyewitness lesson in what it looks like.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
