Biden Pledges $500 Million To Restore Florida Power

President Joe Biden visited the Tampa area of Florida to conduct an aerial tour of the destruction caused by Hurricane Milton, the second major storm to hit the area in as many weeks, and pledged more than $500 million (£380 million) to help restore the state’s damaged electrical grid, BBC News reported.

Biden's pledge to provide over half a billion dollars for repairing Florida’s electrical grid comes amid rising tension over budgeting on Capitol Hill. I Photo: President Joe Biden Facebook

At the storm's peak, which made landfall on Oct. 10, roughly three million businesses and homes in Florida lost power, and more than 825,000 remain without power, according to poweroutage.us.

After the aerial tour, President Biden remarked: "Thankfully, the storm’s impact was not as cataclysmic as we had predicted." However, he added, "For some individuals, it was cataclysmic."

Biden thanked first responders and local officials for their efforts while expressing empathy to residents whom he acknowledged are "heartbroken and exhausted."

His pledge to provide over half a billion dollars for repairing Florida’s electrical grid comes amid rising tension over budgeting on Capitol Hill.

Some U.S. lawmakers have called for Congress to return to session early to negotiate additional disaster relief funding.

Former President Donald Trump claimed the money for disaster relief was stolen, but officials have stated that funds are available for the victims.

Vice President Kamala Harris responded, calling Trump’s remarks "the height of irresponsibility and, frankly, callousness," adding that he "has a phobia for the truth," according to observers.