A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s Governor is relating the state’s funding needs in the wake of Hurricane Debby to the larger national context, saying the Joe Biden administration would rather pay for foreign policy adventurism than compensate subsidiary governments.
“They’re playing politics,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press availability in Steinhatchee.
“Some people don’t want to do money to help victims of natural disaster in our own country because they want more money for things like Ukraine and things halfway around the world. And I think they need to stop playing politics with it and just get it done.”
The Governor said “they need money in this disaster fund that they have and it’s not there,” referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster fund that Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas said was depleted, per The Associated Press.
“As the impacts of climate change have been more and more evident, we have seen and experienced increasing frequency and gravity of extreme weather events. … We expect the disaster relief fund, which is the critical fund that we use to resource impacted communities, we expect it will run out by mid-August. And we need Congress to fund the disaster relief fund,” Mayorkas said in June.
In further comments Tuesday, DeSantis said Florida is “way more proactive than any other state,” working to “fill gaps when the federal government drags its feet on stuff … because the federal bureaucracy can take a long time to be able to do so.”
“We’re doing more than any other state ever has,” DeSantis said, noting that “needs” still exist from 2023’s Hurricane Idalia, which followed a similar path to Debby up the West Coast of Florida and into the Big Bend.
“Those need to be met and we want to work with Congress to make sure that they do,” DeSantis said.
That bipartisan congressional push is already underway.
U.S. Reps. Kat Cammack, a Gainesville Republican, and Jared Moskowitz, a Parkland Democrat, led a letter to the President urging activation of a higher public assistance level, Category A, to ensure reimbursement for debris removal.
“Hurricane Debby continues to bring severe weather conditions, including high winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding, posing a significant threat to public safety and infrastructure,” the letter from Monday said.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio co-signed the letter, along with 24 House members. Republican U.S. Reps. Aaron Bean; Gus Bilirakis; Vern Buchanan; Mario Díaz-Balart; Byron Donalds; Neal Dunn; Scott Franklin; Matt Gaetz; Carlos Giménez; Anna Paulina Luna; Brian Mast; Cory Mills; Bill Posey; John Rutherford; Greg Steube; Michael Waltz; and Daniel Webster signed on. So too did Democratic U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor; Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick; Lois Frankel; Maxwell Frost; Darren Soto; Debbie Wasserman Schultz; and Frederica Wilson.
Biden declared an emergency in Florida on Sunday before the storm made landfall, following up a request from the Governor.
Ahead of the storm reaching Florida, U.S. Sens. Rubio and Rick Scott sent a letter supporting an emergency declaration for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, something requested by DeSantis.
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Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
9 comments
Ocean Joe
August 6, 2024 at 12:12 pm
We have plenty of state money to fly Desantis around for his failed campaign, to send cops to Texas, migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, to pay about a million to Corcoran for wrecking a tiny college. Cut some of the waste, stop with the expensive political stunts and do your job as governor of Florida. Then beg the feds for help.
PeterH
August 6, 2024 at 12:45 pm
Fun Fact:
Only CONGRESS can provide funds to replenish Homeland Security’s Emergency Response Fund. Last week Republicans in Congress gleefully announced: “we have nothing to do …. so we will go home a week early for our Labor Day home leave!”
Once again, DeSantis is whining, complaining and crying…… instead of rolling up his sleeves and take out a Florida State Loan to finance this State’s repeated requests to the Federal Government for “more free stuff.”
MH/Duuuval
August 6, 2024 at 5:39 pm
There’s a line for federal disaster money, so Florida will need to get in line.Biden has been even-handed about aiding states regardless of whether or not they voted for him in 2020.
JusticePeaceLove
August 6, 2024 at 1:05 pm
Why in the name of DeSantis’ religious beliefs, would he endorse Trump, after the former president appeared on the antisemitic, neo-Nazi Adin Ross show yesterday?
We gotta vote folks, and all you 60 plus White guys who had pops and uncles fight in WW2, wake the heck up already. I cant understand the biterness, our democracy depends on sorting out the hate of people like Ross, and Trump.
Sean Thomes
August 6, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Pudding Cup is against socialism
right?
this is him, right?
“I reject socialism outright. I reject Marxism, Leninism, communism, any of these -isms that have come out of a political theory that denies the worth of each and every individual.”
So he can feel free to just bootstrap it not depend on the largesse of blue state taxpayers to bail out his state again.
Frankie M.
August 6, 2024 at 5:31 pm
It’s a good thing Ronnie eliminated the phrase “climate change” from textbooks. Not that he’s playing politics or anything. He’s just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.
Frankie M.
August 6, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Ronnie D has rejected $11B in federal funding over the years but he needs this money? Nice try Ronnie.
MH/Duuuval
August 7, 2024 at 5:30 pm
Turning down a federal supplement to the existing summer feeding from children and teenagers is another example of how the MAGA city slickers harm Florida’s rural areas. Feeding centers in rural areas are scarce and require an auto to access.
There’s also the continuing refusal of Florida MAGAs to expand Medicaid which will provide a fiscal shot in the arm for rural health care providers whose numbers and facilities have diminished. The MAGAs in NC finally got the point and approved Medicaid expansion because rural Tarheels said they need the money and patients that Medicaid expansion brings to survive
wake up
August 8, 2024 at 12:08 pm
“playing politics” is all Rona does. he’s shooting off his big mouth about the presidency when he should be pulling on his cute white rubber boots and helping the people who pay his salary recover from Tropical Storm and Hurricane impacts. Piss off Loser DeSatan!
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