US President Joe Biden and the first lady will travel to the Hawaiian island of Maui on Monday to meet with local leaders and see the damage of the fire that devastated much of a coastal town, the White House announced on Wednesday.
“In Maui, the president and first lady will be welcomed by state and local leaders to see first-hand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery effort,” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said.
“The president continues to marshal a whole-of-government response to the deadly Maui fires, and he has committed to delivering everything that the people of Hawaii need from the federal government as they recover from this disaster,” she said.
The comments came after Biden has faced criticism from Republicans and also from Democrats for his response to the Maui fires.
The devastating wildfires have left at least 106 people dead and scores missing. At least 2,170 acres of land were burned.
Biden remained silent for days about the devastation while he was on vacation at his Delaware beach home over the weekend.
The President only spoke about the disaster on Tuesday in Milwaukee where he celebrated the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act’s signing, saying he wanted to visit but did not want to get in the way of response operations.
“I've spoken with Governor Josh Green multiple times and reassured him the state will have everything it needs from the federal government,” he said.
The President added: “I don’t want to get in the way — I’ve been to too many disaster areas — but I want to go and make sure we got everything they need.”
His speech quickly drove a flare of criticism. Some described Biden's justifications for not visiting Hawaii not to obstruct relief operations as “absolute nonsense.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna took to social media Monday to contrast President Biden’s “no comment” on the severe wildfires in Hawaii and the White House’s newly announced $200 million military aid package for Ukraine.
In a video posted to X, Luna said it was “unfortunate” that Biden was continuing to “prioritize sending aid to foreign countries when Hawaii just experienced its most devastating wildfire to date.”
She also said: “When you have a president that has advocated for over $100 billion going to a foreign country that really we have no place investing in while actively ignoring what is happening in Hawaii and really helping Hawaii, I think that tells you exactly what you need to know about this president.”
The Republican National Committee sent out an email Monday with a picture of Biden sitting in a beach chair in a sandy stretch of Delaware while “Hawaiians are left to fend for themselves.”
Doug Heye, a former RNC official, said Biden’s relative silence was “surprising” and “disappointing.”
Also, a Hawaii Democrat criticized Biden’s response to reporters’ question about the deadly fires in his state as “shocking” and “quite disappointing.”
“I campaigned for you. Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbors. This?" Kaniela Ing said.
