Harris has never been one to put Americans first. But this latest action shows just how little she really cares.
And Kamala Harris skips these crucial meetings that would have helped save countless lives.
Vice President Kamala Harris is under fire for skipping the annual hurricane season preparedness briefings that her predecessor, Mike Pence, made a regular part of his vice presidential duties. Critics argue that this omission raises concerns about how she might handle the responsibilities of the presidency if elected, particularly in times of crisis.
The scrutiny comes as the death toll from Hurricane Helene has climbed to over 143 in the Southeast. Harris, who had been campaigning in Las Vegas, rushed back to Washington to attend a FEMA briefing and scheduled a visit to the devastated areas in Augusta, Georgia. Despite these actions, her opponents remain vocal.
“Harris hasn’t demonstrated the ability — or desire — to do the apolitical parts of the job that have a huge impact on our lives,” a former aide to Pence told the New York Post. As the federal response to Helene became a focal point in the campaign, the aide added, “Why should Americans trust her to start in the Oval Office?”
Under the Trump-Pence administration, both President Donald Trump and Pence routinely held pre-hurricane season meetings with federal emergency officials each year. President Biden followed a similar pattern in 2021, 2022, and 2023, though it’s unclear why Harris did not attend these meetings or hold her own, as Pence had done on at least one occasion.
Chad Wolf, former acting Homeland Security Secretary, emphasized the significance of these annual briefings. He pointed out that Harris’ absence fits “a larger pattern” of disengagement. “It doesn’t seem like she wants to roll up her sleeves and actually get into the governing of the country, which is hard to do. It’s not glamorous. It’s a lot of briefings.”
Wolf expressed concern that Harris might adopt a hands-off approach if elected president. “My guess is she would act the very same way [as president], which is hands off — ‘I’m not going to run the country. I’m going to put a team together, and they’ll run it, and I’ll kind of talk about it,’ which is obviously a very different model than what President Trump did.”
Wolf, who had oversight of emergency management roles during the Trump-Pence administration, explained the purpose of these briefings. They not only kept FEMA officials alert but also helped highlight potential issues ahead of time, with leadership support from the highest levels of government.
“It’s like any other job where your boss is asking you specific questions — you get more motivated to do a better job,” Wolf explained. While FEMA employees always strive to do their best, he noted, the perception that the work is not being prioritized can affect performance.
FEMA has faced significant challenges in responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, particularly in areas like western North Carolina, where residents feel abandoned. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), whose district includes some of the worst-hit areas, expressed his frustration on Monday. “The response has been disappointing,” Edwards said. “We’ve begun to see some resources brought in today, but the storm was over about 80 hours ago. The storm was over about 10 a.m. Friday. We knew that the storm was coming and only today are we beginning to see the first FEMA employees and trailers and helicopters come in.”
Harris’ office has not directly addressed why she didn’t attend the hurricane preparedness meetings during her time as vice president. However, her spokesperson, Ernesto Apreza, pointed to her work in responding to other natural disasters and highlighted her focus on climate resilience projects.
Apreza also noted Harris’ involvement in several hurricane-related events, including her July visit to Houston after Hurricane Beryl and an August 2022 briefing from FEMA and NOAA leaders in Miami on “climate resilience.” “It is a top priority for the Vice President to ensure communities impacted by natural disasters have the resources they need to respond,” Apreza stated.
Yet, Wolf pointed out that Pence’s pre-hurricane interest acted as a “forcing factor” for FEMA leadership during his tenure. “It requires the FEMA administrator to get with his senior leadership to say, ‘OK, here are our critical issues that we’re going to brief the president and the vice president on.’”
He also recalled how Pence’s early involvement facilitated smoother coordination and quicker decision-making during emergencies. “I would often see Vice President Pence say, ‘If you have any problems getting those assets, let me know,’” Wolf said, stressing the importance of proactive communication.
Wolf also criticized FEMA’s response to Helene, stating that it seemed they underestimated the severity of the storm. “They pre-positioned a lot of assets in Florida, but didn’t account for the downstream effects in areas like North Carolina,” he said, adding that the agency is now playing catch-up as they try to manage the crisis.
Pence and Trump’s hurricane preparedness efforts included meetings at FEMA headquarters with governors and emergency officials, such as their August 2017 meeting at FEMA HQ. In 2019, Pence even visited the National Hurricane Center in Florida for updates ahead of the season.
The former Pence aide didn’t hold back in critiquing Harris’ approach. “Apparently VP Harris was also named Hurricane Czar given how little concern she demonstrated for Americans in the path of these deadly storms,” they said, drawing a parallel to her handling of immigration. “You’ve got to walk and chew gum in the executive branch, and Mike Pence managed to juggle these briefings and a re-election campaign while overseeing the government’s response to a global pandemic.”
It’s high past time for Kamala Harris to show that she actually cares about the citizens she serves as Vice President. But her inability to attend these important hurricane briefings only proves that she could care less about the well-being of Americans.
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