It's not every day that members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus meet with the Democratic commander-in-chief, but national crises can make strange bedfellows.
Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said she wasn't expecting a call when an unknown government number based in Washington, D.C., flashed on her cell phone screen late last week. he told Fox News Digital. When she answered, it was President Biden's voice.
“Well, I didn't expect that. So I talked to him on the phone for about 10 minutes, and the first thing he asked me was, what do you need for your constituents? And then there was how to deal with the storm. [we] We started talking about the issues we were having with FEMA,” Luna said.
The first-term Republican, whose district was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton last week, said he also met with Biden while surveying storm damage in Florida over the weekend.
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Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna modestly praised President Biden's response to Hurricane Milton so far. (Getty Images)
Luna said the two had “extensive” discussions about a number of disaster relief reforms.
It's not uncommon for political rivals to collaborate after natural disasters, but the congresswoman's praise for Biden comes after her fierce criticism of the Biden administration, including spearheading efforts to detain Cabinet members (she herself has appeared on Fox News). This is in stark contrast to digital. Essentially disrespecting Congress.
“I've obviously been very critical of President Biden in the past, but for him to step in and take control of the situation to help a good cause was honestly shocking to me.” Luna said.
Hurricane Milton cuts a deadly path through Florida, leaving millions without power
“Obviously, you know, we're going to continue to hold FEMA accountable…but as far as I can see, FEMA has been very helpful and I'm in direct communication with them. And they absolutely intend to do that because President Biden told them to do so. ”
When asked about their in-person conversations, Luna said they talked about the situation in Georgia and North Carolina after Helen hit the southeastern United States, as well as Florida's recovery from both storms.
“One of the things I really wanted to bring up was, obviously, that FEMA is doing the debris removal and not really holding the cities accountable for not being able to move the debris in time. '' Luna said. “So we sorted it out.”
Biden surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida over the weekend. (Getty Images)
Luna also advocated reforming the National Flood Insurance Program, which Luna said has remained largely unchanged since its inception in the 1960s.
Luna said that in their conversations, Biden agreed with her that FEMA's $750 advance payments to disaster survivors were insufficient.
“He said it was 'a bunch of malarkey,' which was 100% true, and that $750 wasn't enough,” Luna said.
Fox News Digital has contacted the White House for further comment.
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Her measured response to the federal relief effort was notable given the flurry of Republican-led criticism of the government's response efforts.
It's worth noting that after the storm, Biden also received praise from the Republican governors of South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
At the federal level, Luna is part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling on Congress to return to an emergency session early to deal with disaster relief, something Biden has also said.
Luna is known as one of the Biden administration's most outspoken critics in Congress. Here she is pictured leading an effort to hold Attorney General Garland in essential contempt. (Getty Images)
But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has indicated multiple times that he is unlikely to convene the House before its expected return the week after Election Day.
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Johnson has criticized the Biden administration's response, saying the $20 billion Congress set aside for FEMA last month is enough to meet immediate needs, and that lawmakers are holding off until a formal damage assessment and cost estimate is provided. argued that little could be done.
Rep. Chuck Edwards, RN.C., whose district was one of the most affected by Herren, echoed Johnson in an interview Friday.
“What we are seeing now with calls for a reconsideration to pass funding is a distraction from the government’s incompetent response to rallying people to support Western North Carolina. I think so,” Edwards said.
