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The tech billionaire acknowledged speaking with the transportation secretary.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg publicly confronted Elon Musk on Friday, refuting false claims the tech billionaire made about the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene. Musk, who has over 200 million followers on his platform, X (formerly Twitter), accused federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, of blocking aid deliveries and obstructing private relief flights to storm-hit areas in North Carolina.
Musk shared a screenshot of a text exchange purportedly with a SpaceX engineer claiming the FAA was “throttling” airspace, preventing helicopters from delivering Starlink internet terminals. Musk labeled the government’s actions as “belligerent government incompetence,” triggering a wave of misinformation on social media.
At 2:30 p.m. EDT, Buttigieg responded directly to Musk on X, debunking the claims. “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights,” Buttigieg tweeted. “If you’re encountering a problem, give me a call.”
Musk’s false accusations gained traction, especially when former President Donald Trump reposted them on his Truth Social platform. Despite the amplification of these falsehoods, FEMA and local officials were quick to issue clarifications.
FEMA created a dedicated “Rumor Response” page to address the spread of disinformation, noting that claims about FEMA seizing supplies, confiscating property, or running out of disaster relief funds were entirely false. “FEMA has enough money right now for immediate response and recovery needs,” the agency said. “No money is being diverted from disaster response needs.”
By 4:29 p.m. EDT, Musk acknowledged speaking with Buttigieg privately and posted: “Thanks for the call. Hopefully, we can resolve this soon.” However, Musk did not delete or correct the earlier false claims, which continued to circulate online.
Republican leaders, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, joined the push to correct the record. Kemp, whose state has been affected by Hurricane Helene, countered claims made by Trump and other Republicans that aid was being withheld from Republican-leaning areas. Kemp confirmed that the federal government was working alongside state officials to deliver the necessary resources and that recovery efforts were underway without political bias.
Nevertheless, Trump and some Republicans have continued to spread false reports in the lead-up to the 2024 election, using disinformation about disaster relief to stoke political tensions. More than 200 people have died as a result of Hurricane Helene, and those numbers are expected to rise as dozens of people remain unaccounted for.
