President Joe Biden will meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he visits the state after Hurricane Ian.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden landed shortly after 12:30 p.m. in Florida, where they will visit Fort Myers, one of the worst-hit areas in the state. There, Biden will meet with the Republican governor, often a political adversary, as he and First Lady Jill Biden assess the damage from Storm Ian. Fort Myers.
Biden will also meet with small business owners and local residents affected by the historic storm, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and thank officials who are providing life-saving assistance, working to restore the ‘electricity and remove debris.
“Governor DeSantis, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and other state and local officials will also provide the president with an operational briefing on the current response and recovery efforts,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
President Joe Biden delivers a statement alongside First Lady Jill Biden in Port de Ponce, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Jean-Pierre said Wednesday on Air Force One that Biden will be joined throughout the day by Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, Republican Rep. Byron Daniels and Lee County Chairman Cecil Pendergrass, and Fort Myers Mayor Ray Murphy.
Ahead of the visit, the White House said Biden will announce that he will double the amount of time the federal government will cover all costs associated with search and rescue, debris removal, sheltering and other emergency measures. 30 days to 60 days.
Governor Desantis had asked for the extension of the aid last week.
Jean-Pierre deflected when asked if DeSantis would join Biden for public comments, saying the governor has a “busy schedule” and couldn’t talk “where he’ll be every step of the way.”
Wednesday’s visit will be the first face-to-face meeting between Biden and DeSantis since the governor ordered migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, which Jean-Pierre continued to call a “political stunt.”
“Obviously, the president expressed his concerns and outrage about the stunt,” he said, adding, “There will be plenty of time to discuss the differences between the president and the governor, but now is not the time.”
Biden and DeSantis have momentarily put politics aside to respond to Hurricane Ian, which is shaping up to be one of Florida’s deadliest and costliest storms in decades. Making landfall as a Category 4 storm, Ian leveled the coast, knocking out power to millions. At least 100 people have died as a result of the storm.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are greeted upon arrival at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 5, 2022, to survey storm-ravaged areas and meet- se with small business owners and state officials.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Leaders Biden and DeSantis spoke several times before and after the storm as Biden issued emergency statements. On Saturday, Biden signed a major disaster declaration for the state, which provides more funding to help Florida recover.
“As I’ve made clear: At times like these, our nation comes together, puts aside our political differences, and gets to work,” Biden said Monday as he discussed his upcoming trip. “We show up when they need us. Because if we lost a home, if we lost a loved one, we hope people would show up for us too.”
DeSantis said he appreciates “FEMA’s response to this disaster” and thanked the Biden administration for its emergency declarations.
The trip to Florida comes just days after Biden traveled to Puerto Rico, which was hit by Hurricane Fiona last month.
The Category 1 storm hit the island on September 18, knocking out most residents of the US territory and killing at least 13 people. As of Biden’s visit, more than two weeks after the storm, more than 100,000 people were still without power.
During his visit to Port de Ponce in southern Puerto Rico, Biden announced more than $60 million in federal funding to help the island better prepare for extreme weather events in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.
“Puerto Rico is a strong place and Puerto Ricans are strong people,” Biden said while speaking at the Port of Ponce. “But still, you have had to endure a lot and more than necessary, and you have not received help in a timely manner.”