On October 13th, President Biden visited the Gulf Coast region of Florida that was hit by Hurricane “Milton”. This visit coincided with the fourth weekend countdown to the U.S. presidential election day, while Vice President Harris held a campaign rally in North Carolina. Republican presidential candidate Trump promised a significant increase in tariffs on Mexican cars if elected.
After conducting aerial surveys and receiving briefings, President Biden expressed gratitude that the damage caused by Hurricane “Milton” wasn’t as severe as expected. However, he acknowledged it was still a “disastrous” event, with many people losing precious personal belongings while being flooded in their homes.
With rising floodwaters, fuel shortages, and power outages, cleanup efforts have been severely hampered. Residents are facing challenges in rebuilding after being hit by both Hurricane “Milton” and the earlier Hurricane “Helene”.
During a meeting with residents and relief workers, President Biden emphasized the importance of unity in times like these, stating, “At moments like this, we come together, take care of each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans. We are one united America.”
In Florida, he announced $612 million in funding for six Department of Energy projects aimed at improving the resilience of the power grid in hurricane-impacted areas.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm noted that around 75% of power in Florida has been restored, with full restoration expected by Tuesday night. However, nearly 930,000 households still remain without power five days after the storm, according to data from PowerOutage.us.
The state’s emergency operations center also plans to open more gasoline distribution points on Sunday.
Despite these efforts, considering the consecutive impact of two storms within two weeks, it is anticipated that the recovery efforts will take a considerable amount of time.
The Biden administration has approved federal assistance to help residents and local governments cover costs, but additional funding from the U.S. Congress is necessary, as requested by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
President Biden has once again pressured House Speaker Michael Johnson, urging Congress to approve more aid before the election on November 5. He estimated during a CBS interview that $100 billion is needed.
However, Johnson stated, “States must assess and calculate their needs and then submit them to Congress, which takes some time.”
Hurricane “Milton” made landfall in Florida last Wednesday, resulting in at least 10 fatalities.
Officials mentioned that without extensive evacuation measures, the losses could have been more severe. Many had already evacuated two weeks ago due to Hurricane “Helene”.
Simultaneously, intense campaigning activities for the election are ongoing. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Harris began her campaign promotion in North Carolina on Saturday and delivered a speech at a Christian center in Greenville on Sunday, aiming to mobilize Black churchgoers to vote on November 5.
She addressed the hurricanes, alluding to misinformation being spread about the federal government’s response and emphasized that spreading fear and making people feel isolated at this time is wrong.
Her campaign team announced she would hold another rally later on Sunday to discuss her economic plans.
On Sunday, Republican U.S. presidential candidate Trump talked about his economic policies, indicating the possibility of imposing tariffs of over 200% on cars imported from Mexico, aiming to prevent Mexican cars from entering the U.S. market.
During a Fox News interview, he stated, “What I’m doing is, say, ‘200 or 500 percent,’ doesn’t matter. I’m setting a number, and they won’t be able to sell a car.” He emphasized the need to protect U.S. automotive companies.
He added that 200 is just a number, “I’m not going to let them build factories across the border and sell millions of cars to the United States, further devastating Detroit.”
In 2018, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement. U.S. officials stated that the new agreement includes more provisions to keep more automotive manufacturing in the U.S.
Car manufacturers warned in 2019 that imposing high tariffs on Mexican cars and components could severely impact the industry and increase vehicle costs.
(Reference: Reuters and AP)