Rep. Anna Paulina Luna took to social media Monday to speak to President Biden about the deadly wildfires in Hawaii that have killed at least 99 people and the White House’s newly announced $200 million military aid package to Ukraine. Contrast “no comment”.
In a video posted to X, Luna said Biden continued to “prioritize sending foreign aid at a time when Hawaii was just hit by the most devastating wildfires to date.” said, “I’m sorry.”
“Families are devastated, they have lost everything they own and the death toll continues to climb,” she said. “Hawaii and the people of Hawaii are much more important than places like Ukraine,” he added in the video.
She also said, “To have a president who actively ignores what’s going on in Hawaii and insists on spending over $100 billion in a foreign country that really helps Hawaii but doesn’t really have room to invest. I think it says exactly what it’s saying,” he said. I need to know about this president. ”
Trump lashes out at Biden’s ‘no comment’ response to Hawaii wildfires: ‘totally appalling and unacceptable’
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) criticized President Biden’s “no comment” on the deadly wildfires in Hawaii. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Biden, who spent the weekend at the beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, told reporters over the weekend that Hawaii’s death toll was rising, reaching 99 as of Tuesday, with hundreds more missing. was asked.
Bloomberg’s White House correspondent Justin Sink reported on Sunday that Biden had nothing to say about it.
“After spending several hours at Rehoboth Beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii and said ‘no comment’ before heading home,” Sink reported on X.
Video footage of the exchange, which was later released, appears to corroborate Sink’s account.
President Biden waves to reporters as he walks to Marine One on the south lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, Aug. 11, 2023 President Biden spent the weekend in Rehoboth, Delaware. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Well said Anna!” Rep. Matt Gates (R-Florida) wrote to X, sharing a congressman’s video.
Fox News Digital reached out to Luna’s congressional office and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Hawaii Democrats say Biden’s ‘no comment’ on wildfires is ‘shocking’: ‘hope for more’
People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Hawaii, Tuesday, August 8, 2023. (Alan Dicker via AP)
Biden’s initial “no comment” response sparked a wave of backlash from both sides of the proverb, including Democrat Mark, former Hawaii congressman and now national director of the Green New Deal network. Kanella Ing was also included.
“I campaigned for you. Now when you’ve lost dozens of friends, family and neighbors. What’s this?” Kanella Ing wrote in a now-deleted post.
Kanella Ing told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Monday that Biden’s “shocking” remarks were insane.
“That’s when things like this happen. When you’re doing the kind of work I do, you have to paddle hardest when the waves are at their peak.” he said. “When a tragedy like this happens, it is shocking to see people go about their business as usual. , How can I ever go on?” That? “
Wildfire debris seen in Lahaina, Hawaii on Thursday, August 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
“Whether or not the initial reports were as negative as they were, it’s very disappointing,” he said, adding: “I would like to see more.”
Former President Trump also criticized his successor.
“I would like to express my sympathy and warm respect to the people of Hawaii, and especially to all those who have been so deeply and irreparably injured by the Maui wildfire tragedy, which is rarely seen in other countries. “Anytime,” Trump said in a video on TRUTH Social on Monday.
“Today, when asked about this while driving home from a beach where he probably spent a long time, Joe Biden, the most incompetent president in our history, laughed with a smile. On death and tragedy, ‘No. comment,” Trump continued. “Saying ‘no comment’ is often fine, but saying it with a smile is downright horrible and unacceptable, especially in a tragedy like this one.”
“Just as Joe Biden refused to comment on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio for a very long time, it is shameful to refuse to support or comment on the Maui tragedy,” he said. added.
In response to the backlash, the White House announced that Biden had spoken by phone with Hawaii Gov. Josh Greene and approved a state emergency declaration that would make federal aid free.
“From the beginning, President Biden led and worked closely with the entire government to mobilize the response to the wildfires in Hawaii, and has received detailed briefings every day since,” the White House said in a statement. Ta.
White House, President Biden says ‘praying’ for Hawaiian families after ‘no comment’ beforehand
“Yesterday, he received two updates from FEMA Director Criswell while he was on the scene,” the statement continued. “As Gov. Green emphasized yesterday, within six hours of receiving Hawaii’s request, President Biden signed a large-scale disaster declaration and committed all available federal resources in the state to assist in the response. Gov. Green said it was “an amazing aid to recovery.” “Senator Hirono, like Senator Schatz, also thanked President Biden for the immediate assistance that federal agencies have provided to Hawaii residents.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, left, and FEMA Director Dean Criswell answer questions about the Maui wildfires during a White House press conference on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Earlier this week, the State Department announced its latest military aid package to Ukraine, worth a total of $200 million. This includes missiles for high-mobility artillery rocket systems and Patriot air defense systems, ammunition for howitzers and tanks, javelin rockets, demining equipment and munitions.
The aid comes on the heels of last month’s announcement of an $800 million aid plan to Ukraine by Undersecretary for Defense Policy Colin H. Carl to meet the “immediate urgency” that Ukraine continues to fight back.
“Today, we are announcing the next security assistance package to help Ukraine defend its territory and defend its people. , air defense munitions, artillery, ammunition, anti-armor capabilities and additional mine clearance equipment,” Secretary of State Antony Brinken announced on Monday.
“The United States, our allies and partners will stand together with Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” Brinken said.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States for additional assistance on X, adding: “One more step towards our joint victory!”
Ukraine has already received more than $43 billion from the US since Russia’s invasion last year.
Fox News’ Houston Keane, Jessica Chasmer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
