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The transportation secretary has appeared on television networks to provide truthful information after the spread of unprecedented lies.
Out U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explained the federal response to Hurricane Milton during an appearance on MSNBC’sChris Jansing Reports Thursday afternoon, highlighting the government’s efforts to assist affected communities while condemning the spread of dangerous misinformation about disaster relief. The hurricane, which made landfall south of Tampa as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday evening, has left millions without power and caused at least six confirmed deaths in Florida, the Washington Post reports. As of midday Thursday, the storm had moved off Florida’s east coast into the Atlantic.
“There is an enormous federal response helping the people of North Carolina and all of the states impacted by Hurricane Milton and Helene,” Buttigieg said, responding to accusations from former President Donald Trump that the federal government had failed North Carolina. “If you talk to mayors, if you talk to governors, by the way, from both parties of these states, they are repeatedly saying that everything they have sought from the federal government, from the federal response, they are getting,” Buttigieg added, dismissing the criticism as political rhetoric.
Buttigieg emphasized the scale of the federal response, noting that thousands of federal employees, including personnel from FEMA and the Department of Transportation, are on the ground. In response to a question about whether there is sufficient funding to meet ongoing disaster needs, Buttigieg emphasized that while immediate needs are being met, additional funding will be necessary for long-term recovery efforts. He pointed out that Congress must act swiftly to replenish FEMA’s disaster relief fund.
“We know that we are going to need more for the road ahead,” Buttigieg said, highlighting a $100 million emergency relief request already processed for North Carolina and $32 million for Tennessee. He noted that the DOT’s emergency reserve account is running low, with less than $200 million remaining. “We just can’t get it done without help from Congress,” he said.
Hurricane Milton caused widespread destruction as it tore across Florida, leaving more than 3.2 million residents without power, the Washington Post reports. Some of the hardest-hit areas included Sarasota and Tampa Bay, where wind gusts topped 100 mph, ripping off roofs and downing power lines. In St. Petersburg, the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team and where first responders had gathered to ride out the storm, was torn apart.
The storm also spawned dozens of tornadoes across the state, leading to more destruction. In Fort Pierce, five people were killed by a tornado that touched down ahead of Milton’s landfall. The Associated Press reports that Milton’s landfall marked the sixth time in history that Florida has had three hurricanes make landfall in a year, with extensive damage reported in Sarasota County, where storm surge reached 8 to 10 feet. The AP also noted that more than 100 residents were rescued from an assisted living facility in Tampa as flooding overwhelmed several areas.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, praised the Biden administration’s response to the storm on Thursday and commended FEMA for arranging expedited funding for debris removal.
Trump and several Republicans, including billionaire X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have been at the forefront of spreading misinformation about the federal response to the storms. On Wednesday, ahead of the storm’s landfall, President Joe Biden called disaster relief lies “un-American” and accused Trump of misrepresenting the federal efforts to support impacted communities. Biden singled out Greene, who claimed the government could control the weather, calling her comments “beyond ridiculous” and “like out of a comic book.”
Buttigieg expressed concern about the growing spread of misinformation surrounding the relief efforts. “This is not an academic exercise. This is a life and death response operation,” he said, condemning the false information circulating online.
Following Helene, false information about FEMA relief payments and eligibility spread across social media platforms, leading many residents to fall prey to scams that delayed their access to government aid. Buttigieg and FEMA officials had to correct these rumors repeatedly.
“This is not the first time we’ve had to deal with these issues,” Buttigieg noted. “Whether it’s malicious, politically motivated, or just lazy, there is no excuse for circulating false information at a time like this.”
