August 31, 2023

Fox News's Peter Doocy questioned the "robust" federal response to Tropical Storm Idalia after it landed and ravaged large areas. But how Doocy framed his question must have made Fox News proud, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wasn't having it.

"It seems like the hurricane response so far is robust," Doocy said. "Did you guys realize that the initial Hawaii wildfire response was not that good? Or is it just easier for people to get help from the White House when the president is not on vacation?"

"So the premise of your question and the way you posed your question, I disagree, just for the record," Jean-Pierre said. "So if you talk to, if you were to do your reporting and speak to the governor of Hawaii, the senators of Hawaii, the folks on the ground, they would say that the president reacted in record time when it came to dealing with the wildfires when it came to dealing and making sure that they got everything that they need on the federal level to deal with what was going on on the ground."

"Let's not forget there were more than 600 federal employees on the ground already to assist with the wildfires in Maui," she added. "So your question is wrong. it's flawed in many, many ways, and I would advise you to go speak to the governor and the local and state officials in Hawaii."

Via The Washington Post:

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will spend $95 million to help strengthen Hawaii's electrical grid in the wake of deadly wildfires that swept through parts of Maui earlier this month. The fast-moving fires were the deadliest in modern U.S. history, killing more than 100 people on the island, forcing thousands to evacuate, and destroying the historic town of Lahaina.

President Biden plans to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon on the government's long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts on the island, as well as the administration's ongoing response to Hurricane Idalia, a major storm that made landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning. Biden traveled to Maui earlier this month to survey the devastation caused by wildfires and has vowed that "every asset we have will be available" to the victims.

Still, Republicans want to investigate his response to the deadly fires in Maui. They probably got tired of clutching their pearls over Bud Light being woke.

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