While communities in Maui were being incinerated and the list of the dead continued to grow (surpassing 100 as of the writing of this piece), President Biden was publicly flaunting his storied callousness as he continued his vacation and gave a firm “no comment” when asked about the wildfires. It being election season, CNN News Center knew they needed to do something to distract people. So, on Thursday morning, they took White House talking points and claimed it was Republicans who didn’t care about the people. But at no point did they provide any evidence.
“President Joe Biden vowing to help Americans affected by two major national disasters happening just weeks apart,” boasted fill-in co-host Rahel Solomon. She touted that Biden had promised “$95 million to help Maui improve its electrical grid” and was “vowing to help those affected by Hurricane Idalia.”
Fill-in co-host Boris Sanchez threw the report to White House correspondent Arlette Saenz so she could share Biden’s “warning to the Republican Party about funding” the recovery efforts.
Saenz noted that Biden had requested $12 billion in additional funding for FEMA to help carry out recovery efforts for these and future disasters. But she ignored Biden’s dismissal of the Maui wildfires as she did the administration’s bidding and portrayed Biden as the one supposedly standing up for them against the Republicans:
SAENZ: Now, the White House has requested about $12 billion in funding for disaster relief from Congress. And FEMA Director Deanne Criswell, just earlier this week, said that they currently only have $3.4 billion in the coffers, in their disaster relief fund. She expects that they will run a deficit at some point in mid-September; really highlighting some of the issues that FEMA will be facing as they’re facing strains not just of this hurricane, not just of the wildfires, but also preparing for future disasters.
And President Biden has said that he is ready to call out the Republicans if they don't get on board with this disaster relief funding. Take a listen.
[Cuts to soundbite]
BIDEN: The answer is if I can't do that, I’m going to point out why. How can we not respond? My God! How can we not respond to these needs? And so, I am confident even though there is a lot of talk from our friends up there on the hill about the cost. We got to do it. It is the United States of America.
It was only after she hyped up Biden and played the soundbite that she admitted that Biden had included a so-called poison pill in his funding request; admitting he “tied it to additional funding for Ukraine, something that Republican lawmakers have expressed some opposition to.”
But still, she did not provide a single soundbite, comment, or press release from any Republican to support the notion that they opposed helping out Maui or Florida.
In an apparent attempt to offset the fact Biden linked the Maui funding to Ukraine, she noted: “President Biden announced that they are devoting $95 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to try to help harden Hawaii's electric grid in the wake of that wildfire.”
CNN’s efforts to distract the American people from President Biden’s callousness was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Liberty Mutual and Tempur-Pedic. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN News Central
August 31, 2023
10:39:48 a.m. EasternRAHEL SOLOMON: Also happening this morning, President Joe Biden vowing to help Americans affected by two major national disasters happening just weeks apart. Biden’s announcement includes $95 million to help Maui improve its electrical grid after those fires that killed more than 100 people, plus he’s also vowing to help those affected by Hurricane Idalia which slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast yesterday as a powerful category 3 storm.
BORIS SANCHEZ: And let’s take you to the White House now with CNN’s Arlette Saenz. So Arlette, Biden also issuing a warning to the Republican Party about funding.
ARLETTE SAENZ: Yeah, he did, Boris. President Biden said that the federal government will be there for the long haul to help in these recovery efforts, not just with Hurricane Idalia but also those wildfires in Maui. But he said that in order for FEMA to be able to do its job, to be able to carry out these recover efforts, they need Congress to pass additional funding.
Now, the White House has requested about $12 billion in funding for disaster relief from Congress. And FEMA Director Deanne Criswell, just earlier this week, said that they currently only have $3.4 billion in the coffers, in their disaster relief fund. She expects that they will run a deficit at some point in mid-September; really highlighting some of the issues that FEMA will be facing as they’re facing strains not just of this hurricane, not just of the wildfires, but also preparing for future disasters.
And President Biden has said that he is ready to call out the Republicans if they don't get on board with this disaster relief funding. Take a listen.
[Cuts to soundbite]
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: The answer is if I can't do that, I’m going to point out why. How can we not respond? My God! How can we not respond to these needs? And so, I am confident even though there is a lot of talk from our friends up there on the hill about the cost. We got to do it. It is the United States of America.
[Cuts back to live]
SAENZ: Now the White House had made the request a bit earlier in August and had also tied it to additional funding for Ukraine, something that Republican lawmakers have expressed some opposition to. And so, this is setting up one of the looming spending fights that will proceed as Congress is set to return in September.
Now, I also want to note President Biden announced that they are devoting $95 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to try to help harden Hawaii's electric grid in the wake of that wildfire.
Of course, these are two natural disaster and crises that FEMA is dealing with in this moment. And, of course, there is still more to come in hurricane season, as FEMA is preparing for recovery efforts, but also, what could come ahead.
SOLOMAN: Absolutely. Arlette Saenz, live for us there at the White House. Arlette, thank you.
