OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:56 PM – Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris is facing backlash after reportedly skipping a hurricane preparedness briefing as the death toll from devastating Hurricane Helen soars to more than 160.
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Hurricane preparedness meetings were a staple of former Vice President Mike Pence's calendar, but many believe Harris' governing style is consistent with a clear disregard for essential meetings, potentially putting American lives at risk. I'm wondering if it will be exposed.
“Mr. Harris has shown no ability or desire to perform the non-political parts of the job that have a profound impact on our lives,” a former Pence aide told reporters. “Why should Americans trust her in the Oval Office?”
Nevertheless, Harris eventually returned to Washington to attend a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) briefing. However, it is unclear why she did not attend or participate in Biden's preparedness briefings throughout the first three years of the Biden administration.
During former President Donald Trump's administration, Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence attended annual hurricane preparedness conferences, and President Joe Biden continued the tradition. However, Mr. Harris has chosen not to attend these annual meetings. new york post Reported.
Meanwhile, former acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf also criticized Harris, questioning whether she would take a more “hands-off” approach if elected president.
“She doesn't seem to want to roll up her sleeves and really participate in governing the country, which is difficult,” Wolf said. “It's not glamorous. There are a lot of briefing sessions.”
“My guess is she will do the same.” [as president]this is hands-off – “I'm not going to run the country. I'm going to put together a team, they're going to run it, and I'm going to discuss it,” which is clearly President Trump's response. “It's a very different model than what they did.”
Wolf went on to explain that FEMA's briefings help the agency better coordinate and analyze potential problems, while also highlighting the importance of critical work.
“It's like any other job when your boss asks specific questions, it motivates you to do a better job,” Wolf said. “It's not that they have less work to do,” he added. “They just know that their work doesn't matter.”
Additionally, North Carolina Congressman. Chuck Edwards, RN.C., whose district was hit hard by recent hurricanes, reported that “people in western North Carolina feel let down” by Harris and Biden. “Of course,” he said.
“The response has been disappointing,” Edwards continued. “Some resources are starting to come in today, but the storm ended about 80 hours ago. The storm stopped around 10 a.m. Friday. We knew the storm was coming. But it wasn't until today that we started seeing the first FEMA personnel, trailers and helicopters arrive.”
Shortly afterward, Harris' press secretary, Ernesto Apureza, responded to the backlash by pointing to the vice president's past visits to hurricane-affected areas and attendance at similar events. But it did not dispute or address the central allegation that Harris did not hold or attend preparatory meetings before hurricane season.
Apreza alleges that Harris was “regularly briefed by relevant federal agencies and officials about emerging storms, other natural disasters, and the federal government's response efforts.”
“She also visited FEMA Headquarters and NOAA's National Hurricane Center to see firsthand preparedness, and visited the Emergency Operations Center in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl,” the spokesperson continued. “Ensuring that communities affected by natural disasters have the resources they need to respond is the Vice President's top priority.”
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