Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who claims to remain apolitical, has recently been involved in highly political actions regarding emergency response. After Hurricane Helene, DeSantis reportedly avoided calls from Vice President Kamala Harris, deeming the outreach as politically motivated.
According to an unnamed aide, DeSantis also had no direct communication with President Joe Biden, instead choosing to speak with FEMA Director Deanne Criswell. This has raised questions about his handling of storm response and whether political considerations are influencing his decisions.
The White House, while acknowledging the lack of communication with DeSantis, did not directly accuse him of politicizing the storm response.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that FEMA is working diligently on the ground, while also pointing out that it was DeSantis’ decision not to accompany President Biden in surveying the storm damage. Jean-Pierre reiterated that the administration is fully engaged in relief efforts, with a “whole of government” approach, and left it up to DeSantis to explain his actions.
DeSantis Faces Criticism for Politicizing Hurricane Response and Refusing Voter Deadline Extension Amid Storm Crisis
Hurricane Helene has been catastrophic, leaving at least 231 people dead across six states and becoming one of the most deadly storms in U.S. history.
The devastation has drawn significant national attention, but as another hurricane, Milton, approaches Florida as a Category 5 storm, DeSantis has again taken a controversial approach. He has refused to extend the voter registration deadline, insisting that citizens should use their time now to register, despite the looming threat and evacuations.
Hurricane Helene has already caused disruptions to essential services, including the postal service in North Carolina, which could affect early and mail-in voting in the upcoming election. This has added to concerns about how extreme weather events are complicating the electoral process, with many urging more flexibility in voter registration deadlines to accommodate storm-related displacements.
Meanwhile, Republicans, following the lead of Donald Trump, have falsely accused the Biden administration of diverting FEMA funds to immigration efforts, which FEMA has strongly denied. FEMA Director Deanne Criswell called such claims “ridiculous and just plain false,” stating that these political distractions are unhelpful and detract from the real issue of providing aid to those affected by the disasters.
