A.G. Gancarski
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, appearing on MSNBC Friday afternoon, had some praise for President Donald Trump‘s handling of hurricane preparation.
Bush, who saw eight storms during one two-year period in his tenure, noted that Irma is “bigger and meaner” than anything he dealt with before.
On Friday, he expressed confidence in the Trump Administration’s handling of the twin-bill of Harvey and now Irma, lauding an “understanding in Washington,” noting that “support from FEMA will likely be there” for Florida after Irma.
“They’ve done well. The President has had the right balance,” Bush said, “going [to Texas] without creating distractions from recovery efforts. FEMA has done its job.”
Bush was less laudatory about the disaster relief/debt ceiling hike bill that Trump pushed through with the help of congressional Democratic leadership.
While Bush is “thankful for FEMA funding,” his gratitude does not extend to a real faith in Trump’s philosophical consistency.
“I’m not surprised about anything the President does or says,” Bush said.
Bush noted that America is in a “fiscal crisis,” with $20 Trillion in debt, and $60 Trillion in “contingent debt.”
Trump is “going to have to rely on conservatives and Republicans to carry out the agenda,” Bush said, though how much buy-in Trump has with conservatives at this point is an open question.
Bush’s unease over the bill mirrors that of Sen. Marco Rubio, who messaged heavily Thursday about the “politically cynical” bill that allowed for $15.25B in Harvey relief funds in exchange for another debt ceiling hike.
