Hurricane Helene has killed at least 200 people, making it the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The powerful storm left destruction in its wake, washing out roads, destroying homes and businesses, and knocking out electricity, water and cell service throughout the southeastern U.S.
President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for areas in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on Oct. 3 that it has provided more than $20 million in funding to Hurricane Helene survivors.
But after the storm, some viralsocialmedia posts claimed Biden ruled out sending any additional aid to Hurricane Helene victims. The posts include video clips of the president speaking with reporters.
“Are there any more resources the federal government could be giving them?” a reporter is heard asking in one of the video clips shared on X. Biden responds by saying, “No, we’ve given them…We have pre-planned a significant amount of it, even though they didn’t ask for it yet – hadn’t asked for it yet.”
The viral X post sharing the video says, “Biden-Harris spent $230 million to build a pier in Gaza that lasted 20 days. But no more aid for Hurricane Helene.”
Several VERIFY readers also emailed us to ask if Biden said the federal government won’t give more aid to victims of the hurricane.
THE QUESTION
Did President Biden say the federal government won’t give more aid to Hurricane Helene victims?
THE SOURCES
- C-SPAN video of President Biden speaking with reporters at Dover Air Force Base on Sept. 29
- White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards
- Sept. 29 White House Fact Sheet on Hurricane Helene response
- C-SPAN video of President Biden’s remarks on federal response to Hurricane Helene on Sept. 30
- Oct. 2 White House fact sheet on Biden-Harris administration’s life-saving response efforts
THE ANSWER
No, Biden didn’t say the federal government won’t give more aid to Hurricane Helene victims.
WHAT WE FOUND
Biden did not rule out more federal aid for victims of Hurricane Helene. The viral posts misrepresent an exchange between Biden and reporters on Sept. 29.
The video clips shared on social media show Biden speaking with reporters at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. C-SPAN posted the full video of those Sept. 29 remarks on its website.
During his remarks at the Air Force base, Biden said the government gave storm victims all of the resources it had at the time – not that the federal government wouldn’t be providing more aid in the future.
Since then, Biden has said that he plans to ask Congress for a supplemental aid bill to help storm victims.
Here’s a transcript of Biden’s remarks about Hurricane Helene on Sept. 29:
Reporter: “Do you have any words for the victims of the hurricane?”
Biden: “Yes, it’s tragic. As a matter of fact, we’re trying to get the exact number. My FEMA adviser is on the ground in Florida right now. There’s a distinction between the numbers that FEMA’s used and the ones that are used by the locals. So it really is amazing. You saw the photographs. It’s stunning. It really is.”
Reporter: “Such a wide area.”
Biden: “We’ve given them all…everything that we have. Were on the ground ahead of time. So, we’re working hard.”
Reporter question: “Are there any more resources the federal government could be giving them?”
Biden: “No, we’ve given them…We have pre-planned a significant amount of it, even though they didn’t ask for it yet – hadn’t asked for it yet.”
Though some of the social media posts include videos of Biden’s full remarks about the administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, they misrepresent what he said about storm aid.
“The President was clearly referring to all we have done for the communities impacted by Hurricane Helene,” White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards told VERIFY.
Since then, the White House has provided updates about additional efforts to help Hurricane Helene victims.
On the same day as the exchange at Dover Air Force Base, the White House released a fact sheet on its response efforts after Hurricane Helene. That fact sheet says Biden directed FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell “to determine what more can be done to support those who are having the most difficult time accessing assistance in isolated communities.”
The next day, on Sept. 30, Biden gave an address at the White House about the federal response to Hurricane Helene.
“We know there is more to do, and we will continue to surge resources, including food, water, communications and lifesaving equipment. We’ll be there – as I said before and I mean it – as long as it takes to finish this job,” Biden said in a video of the White House address shared by C-SPAN.
A reporter then asked Biden if he would need to ask Congress for a supplemental aid bill to help the victims of Hurricane Helene.
“That’s my expectation, yes,” Biden responded. He added that he may need to request that members of Congress return to Washington, D.C., for a special session in order to approve supplemental funding.
On Oct. 2, the White House released another fact sheet providing updates about its Hurricane Helene response. Biden announced that he directed the Department of Defense to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of food, water and other critical supplies to communities affected by the hurricane, the fact sheet says.