Biden Sees Hurricane Milton Damage at $50B

Biden on Friday said the U.S. Coast Guard was leading efforts to reopen the port and he said work was underway to help restore power to communities hit by Milton.

About 2.2 million customers are without power across the state of Florida, according to PowerOutage.us.

Trump on Friday said that if elected he would provide a tax break for consumers who purchase a generator for their homes, allowing them to fully deduct the total cost for tax purposes.

The break would be retroactive to Sept. 1, 2024 and be available until August 31, 2025, Trump said, announcing the proposal in a post on his Truth Social network and citing it as a step to help parts of the country prone to storms.

Florida Trip

The White House announced Biden’s plans to travel to Florida in a statement on Friday.

It’s unclear if Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will meet with Biden during his visit Sunday, but when asked about the possibility, Biden said “if he’s available, yeah.”

“He’s been very cooporative, we’ve gotten along very very well,” Biden said.

DeSantis joined the president in 2022 when they surveyed the damage from another powerful storm, Hurricane Ian, and in 2021 after the Surfside building collapse.

They did not meet when Biden visited the state earlier this month, but the president has said the two have spoken by phone to address Milton. DeSantis sought the GOP presidential nomination this cycle before dropping out and endorsing Trump.

Milton followed Hurricane Helene, which hit the U.S. southeast last month, ripped across several states including the election battlegrounds of Georgia and North Carolina and killed more than 230 people.

The president has held daily briefings and spoken from the White House this week ahead of Milton and in the aftermath of the storm, including urging Congress to return early from a pre-election recess to pass additional aid.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has discounted that idea, meaning negotiations over funding are unlikely before November’s election.

(Credit: National Weather Service)