Musk Alleges Biden Administration Obstructs Disaster Aid Efforts
Elon Musk has asserted that FEMA is preventing SpaceX from providing Starlink internet terminals to areas in North Carolina affected by hurricanes. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
FEMA's relief efforts in North Carolina have sparked political controversy.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused President Joe Biden's administration of “actively blocking” the distribution of Starlink internet terminals and essential aid to regions in North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. The administration has rejected these accusations as untrue.
Hurricane Helene caused devastation throughout the southeastern United States last week, resulting in over 225 fatalities and leaving many missing. The destruction was particularly intense in Georgia and western North Carolina, where numerous bridges were destroyed and tens of thousands remain without water, electricity, and cellphone service.
During a visit to Georgia on Monday, former President Donald Trump mentioned that he had been in communication with Musk, who is set to provide Starlink internet terminals to the impacted regions. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also stated in a press release that it would be distributing Starlink terminals to local authorities.
However, on Friday, Musk asserted on his X platform that FEMA “is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!”
Musk cited a SpaceX engineer in North Carolina who claimed that FEMA personnel were confiscating Starlink terminals and other supplies destined for the state. In a follow-up message, Musk posted screenshots of exchanges with the engineer, who alleged that the agency had “shut down the airspace to ‘regulate’ the private choppers we are riding in to deliver Starlink and supplies.”
Musk declared, “SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!” He included a video in that post showing the extent of the damage.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to Musk's claims by stating, “no one is shutting down the airspace and [the Federal Aviation Administration] doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights.” Buttigieg added, “If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”
By late Friday night, the situation appeared to have been resolved, with Musk thanking Buttigieg and declaring that “support flights are underway.”
Republican leaders and conservative commentators have accused the Biden administration of delaying aid to western North Carolina because the area's largely white population supported Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Trump visited both Georgia and North Carolina prior to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this week and claimed at a rally on Friday that “a lot of the money that was supposed to go to Georgia and supposed to go to North Carolina” had been allocated to “people that came into the country illegally.”
After FEMA allocated $640 million for housing for undocumented immigrants over the past fiscal year, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated on Wednesday that the agency will struggle to manage through the rest of hurricane season, which usually lasts until early December. However, the $640 million spent on undocumented immigrants did not come from FEMA’s disaster relief fund but from a different fund established by Congress.
As of Friday, FEMA reported that it had disbursed $45 million on relief efforts following Hurricane Helene, which is 14 times less than the amount spent on housing illegal immigrants last year, according to a White House statement.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused President Joe Biden's administration of “actively blocking” the distribution of Starlink internet terminals and essential aid to regions in North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. The administration has rejected these accusations as untrue.
Hurricane Helene caused devastation throughout the southeastern United States last week, resulting in over 225 fatalities and leaving many missing. The destruction was particularly intense in Georgia and western North Carolina, where numerous bridges were destroyed and tens of thousands remain without water, electricity, and cellphone service.
During a visit to Georgia on Monday, former President Donald Trump mentioned that he had been in communication with Musk, who is set to provide Starlink internet terminals to the impacted regions. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also stated in a press release that it would be distributing Starlink terminals to local authorities.
However, on Friday, Musk asserted on his X platform that FEMA “is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!”
Musk cited a SpaceX engineer in North Carolina who claimed that FEMA personnel were confiscating Starlink terminals and other supplies destined for the state. In a follow-up message, Musk posted screenshots of exchanges with the engineer, who alleged that the agency had “shut down the airspace to ‘regulate’ the private choppers we are riding in to deliver Starlink and supplies.”
Musk declared, “SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!” He included a video in that post showing the extent of the damage.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to Musk's claims by stating, “no one is shutting down the airspace and [the Federal Aviation Administration] doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights.” Buttigieg added, “If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”
By late Friday night, the situation appeared to have been resolved, with Musk thanking Buttigieg and declaring that “support flights are underway.”
Republican leaders and conservative commentators have accused the Biden administration of delaying aid to western North Carolina because the area's largely white population supported Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Trump visited both Georgia and North Carolina prior to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this week and claimed at a rally on Friday that “a lot of the money that was supposed to go to Georgia and supposed to go to North Carolina” had been allocated to “people that came into the country illegally.”
After FEMA allocated $640 million for housing for undocumented immigrants over the past fiscal year, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated on Wednesday that the agency will struggle to manage through the rest of hurricane season, which usually lasts until early December. However, the $640 million spent on undocumented immigrants did not come from FEMA’s disaster relief fund but from a different fund established by Congress.
As of Friday, FEMA reported that it had disbursed $45 million on relief efforts following Hurricane Helene, which is 14 times less than the amount spent on housing illegal immigrants last year, according to a White House statement.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
