Kamala Harris stirred up a political storm of her own after announcing $157 million in aid for Lebanon as Israel intensifies its military campaign against Hezbollah. With North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, her timing raised plenty of eyebrows—and even more ire—from conservative circles. In fact, it was a classic case of the administration’s tone-deafness and questionable priorities, as critics lined up to ask why taxpayer dollars are being funneled overseas when Americans are still struggling in the wake of a deadly storm.
The fact that she’s willing to send $157 million across the ocean, bringing the U.S. aid total for Lebanon to a staggering $385 million this year, while people back home receive paltry sums in comparison, is hard to swallow. It’s no wonder Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was quick to react, highlighting that Helene victims received a one-time payment of $750 in relief. Meanwhile, people suffering at home are left wondering when the administration will actually make them a priority.
And Harris isn’t just getting heat from conservatives. Even some progressives found her comments frustrating, given that the administration is also backing Israel’s operations. While she stresses the need for humanitarian aid in Lebanon, the U.S. continues to supply Israel with military assistance, exacerbating the very conditions she claims to want to alleviate. Even left-wing commentators like Ben Norton and Hasan Piker were quick to call out the administration’s perceived hypocrisy, accusing Harris and Biden of playing both sides in a way that makes their actions appear contradictory at best.
To add fuel to the fire, Harris’ announcement of $100 million for I-40 repairs in North Carolina seemed like too little, too late, especially when FEMA’s $47 million in disaster relief for Helene’s victims looks dwarfed by foreign aid. Florida Senator Rick Scott echoed a sentiment felt by many, suggesting that if the Southeast U.S. had a different name—say, Lebanon or Ukraine—maybe the administration would send relief a little quicker. Harris’ announcement might have been aimed at shoring up her humanitarian credentials, but for many, it came off as nothing more than a distraction from the administration’s failure to focus on American crises first.
At the end of the day, Americans in hurricane-ravaged states need real help. And right now, they’re not seeing that from this administration. As President Trump’s senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita put it, “Tone deafness runs in Washington.” It’s hard to argue with that.
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