JD Vance hits Biden-Harris on hurricane response: 'Incompetence of the highest order'

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance slammed the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the fallout of Hurricane Helene as incompetent in an interview Monday on "Fox & Friends."

Vance said FEMA has been "distracted" by illegal immigrants as a result of the Biden-Harris administration's "incompetence."

"I think the fundamental mistake that Kamala Harris' administration has made here, Will, is that from the get-go, you should have imposed military-style command and control," he said. "You've got eight different bureaucratic organizations, you've got a lot of different bureaucratic fiefdoms that sometimes delay the provision of necessary resources, you need to empower a military commander on the ground to get helicopters to where they need to go, to get supplies … to cut through some of the FAA bureaucracy."

"The problem here, I really believe, it's like the DMV at industrial scale, and because of it, a lot of folks in North Carolina are suffering unnecessarily," he added. "I hope to God you don't have unnecessary loss of life, but I fear that we do, and it all goes back to why do we have a president and a vice president, one of whom is on the beach, the other of whom is participating in fundraisers rather than doing their job. It is incompetence of the highest order."

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JD Vance (Fox News)

Vance discussed the claim that there is a bucket of money in FEMA that has gone to illegal immigrants and another separate bucket of money that goes to American citizens. 

"I think that misses the fundamental point that the Biden-Harris administration has turned FEMA effectively into an agency that helps to resettle and helps to deal with illegal immigration," he said. "That is just fundamentally going to distract focus from their core job of helping American citizens in their time of need."

Vance continued, calling the administration's response following Hurricane Helene a "complete failure of leadership," demonstrated by the contrast in previous responses to natural disasters. 

"In 2010, there was a terrible earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti," he explained. "The 82nd Airborne was on the ground two days later. There was a disastrous hurricane an hour away from the 82nd Airborne headquarters. It took more than a week for the full deployment to arrive and start helping people out."

"It's a complete lack of leadership," he added. "When things like this happen, you need somebody in charge, you need somebody saying we're going to save as many lives as possible. Red tape be damned. Unfortunately, what you've had is somebody asleep at the wheel. Nobody knows who's in charge and I think it has delayed the provision of necessary resources to the people of North Carolina." 

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ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 28: Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage  on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend on Thursday night with winds up to 140 mph and storm surges that killed at least 42 people in several states.  (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images))

Vance said the area, the Appalachian region of the country, has been ignored by U.S. leadership for 40 years. 

"They really feel ignored today," he said. "The way you solve that problem is by having leaders who show up and focus on the people. Kamala Harris has failed to do that."

FEMA has set up a fact-check page to respond to what it says are false claims about its response to the hurricane. In one, it responded to a claim that funding for its disaster response was diverted to support international efforts or border issues.

"No money is being diverted from disaster response needs," the site states. "FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts."

A White House spokesperson didn't have a direct response to Vance but referred Fox News Digital to its comment about similar criticism by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. 

"A wide range of leaders in both parties and from every affected state have praised the bipartisan response to Hurricane Helene," spokesman Andrew Bates said. "The Republican governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, has called the response ‘superb.’ Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a Republican, said, ‘They're doing a great job.’ Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said, ‘We are seeing incredible help from the Federal government to the state.’ The Republican governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, has said he ‘appreciated’ President’s Biden’s offer to ‘call him directly’ with any ‘other things we need.’ The Republican governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, said he’s ‘incredibly appreciative of the rapid response.’ Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said, "The federal response has been nothing short of amazing. And Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said, ‘This is an incredible experience for me. So, to President Biden, thank you for coming. Thank you for paying attention to our needs. We have had a good working relationship between the federal government.’"

Kendall Tietz is a writer with Fox News Digital.