As is often the case with VP Kamala Harris, determining exactly what she was trying to say is a trial unto itself.
Harris met with actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the Democratic National Committee Women’s Leadership Forum to discuss various topics. Among those were questions about the impact of climate change among minority populations, and the response to Hurricane Ian was specifically mentioned.
The exchange led to much confusion on Twitter about what VP Harris was actually saying.
Kamala Harris suggests hurricane and disaster relief should be based on race. pic.twitter.com/DjjotmhJds
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 30, 2022
What is clear is that Harris believes ‘equity’ should be a factor in determining how resources are allocated because, in her view, poor communities and communities of people of color are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts.
Not clear to many on Twitter who viewed the exchange, however, was whether Kamala Harris was saying equity should be a factor in the ongoing relief efforts for Hurricane Ian. It’s not, of course. FEMA provides assistance to those currently in need, regardless of income or race.
Kamala on Hurricane Ian relief:
The Biden administration will focus on “giving resources based on equity” by directing funds to “communities of color” pic.twitter.com/uixPpyQWdU
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 30, 2022
This tweet and others like it created quite a stir on Twitter as users tried to unwrap what Harris was saying.
Context is important. Harris’s full comments did not imply that the Biden administration would be doling out resources to ‘communities of color’, based on equity, in response to Ian specifically. View the larger portion of the comments here to make your own determination. (Oddly, the video link does not work on C-SPAN’s website. Clicking the link displays a ‘Program not available’ message.)
It was clear, however, that her viewpoint in the broader picture of impacts that she attributes to climate change is that resources should be allocated based on these factors. Not great.
The poorly timed statements from the VP and Twitter’s subsequent mischaracterization of them (in this editor’s view), put Ron DeSantis campaign rock star, Christina Pushaw, into cleanup mode.
This is false. @VP's rhetoric is causing undue panic and must be clarified. FEMA Individual Assistance is already available to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, regardless of race or background. If you need assistance visit https://t.co/x9X8AstnzL or call 1-800-621-3362. https://t.co/idsw1PX86x
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) September 30, 2022
Thank you. I had a couple locals text me about this to ask if they would get aid later than other people. The VP should not be causing this confusion. People notice!
They are in a hard hit areas and I have provided that contact info.
— Misha Fitton 🐊🇺🇸 #FloridaStrong (@MishaFitton) September 30, 2022
To be fair, it appears it was a combination of Vice President Word Salad and Twitter’s unwrapping of her comments that caused the confusion.
In 2022 it's Republicans reassuring the public that hurricane aid isn't being distributed in a racist manner. https://t.co/g44a9Ir8Rh
— Holden (@Holden114) October 1, 2022
Yep, that’s where we are.
You can’t make this up.
Kamala Harris said the administration will be giving hurricane resources “based on equity” by directing funds to “communities of color.”
I guess everyone else is just screwed. 🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/75y4JfoYD7
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) September 30, 2022
Again, Harris didn’t quite exactly say the administration will be doing this, but it’s clearly her opinion that they should be, which is a significant admission.
Should be according to greatest need, not race or anything else
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2022
Sometimes you DO have to be a rocket scientist to understand what VP Harris is trying to say.
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