FEMA Head Pushes Back After Harris’ ‘Equity’ and Hurricane Relief Remarks Spark Concerns

UPDATE : Independent Journal Review has added more context about Harris’ comments for clarity. As mentioned during the CBS News interview, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) claimed the vice president said “if you have a different skin color, you’re going to get relief faster.” The White House told PolitiFact, in regard to the Harris remarks, that Harris was responding to the second part of a long question. White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said, “The vice president was addressing a different subject: long-term climate resilience investments passed with strong bipartisan support.” Reuters also addressed a clip that circulated of Harris’ comments as “missing context. Harris was addressing a lengthy question about how to tackle extreme 🌦️Weather events broadly when commenting that resources should be distributed in a way that is equitable. The comment was not made specifically about relief post-Hurricane Ian.” Independent Journal Review has also revised the headline of this article and added some more context to the text. The full video can be found here and the White House transcript here.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (🚨FEMA) is seeking to alleviate concerns hurricane aid may not be distributed evenly.

During an appearance on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” Sunday, 🚨FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was asked about Vice President Kamala Harris’ suggestion that relief efforts should focus on “giving resources based on equity” to “communities of color.”

“It is our lowest-income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making,” Harris said Friday.

She went on, “And so we have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity, understanding not everyone starts out at the same place.”

Criswell responded, “One of the things that I have known and I have experienced responding to other disasters is that there are people that often have a hard time accessing our programs, there’s barriers to our program.”

“And one of our focus areas, since I’ve been in office, is to make sure that we’re removing those barriers. So, these people that need our help the most are going to be able to access the help that we offer. I know that the vice president and the president, they share the same values,” she continued.

Watch the video below:

Finally, Criswell said, “We’re going to support all communities.”

“I committed that to the governor. I commit to you right here that all Floridians are going to be able to get the help that is available to them through our programs,” she added.

To clarify, Criswell additionally said: “I believe some of the things the vice president was talking about are the long-term recovery and rebuilding these communities to be able to withstand disasters, so they can have less impact. We’re going to support all communities. I committed that to the governor, I commit to you right here that all Floridians are going to be able to get the help that is available to them through our programs.”

Christina Pushaw, the rapid response director for 🌴Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), also sought to alleviate concerns about Harris’ comments.

“This is false. rhetoric is causing undue panic and must be clarified,” Pushaw tweeted.

She added, “🚨FEMA Individual Assistance is already available to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, regardless of race or background.”

In a separate tweet, Pushaw wrote, “I would be panicking if my relatives were in Fort Myers right now and the Vice President said that they wouldn’t be prioritized for 🚨FEMA assistance because they’re white. Fortunately, I know what is going on with the assistance, and there is no racial discrimination.”

Harris’ comments come after Hurricane Ian hit 🌴Florida as a Category 4 storm.

NBC News reports there have been at least 83 fatalities in 🌴Florida stemming from the hurricane.