Louisiana Republicans unload on White House over climate change tweet on Katrina anniversary

FIRST ON FOX: Louisiana Republicans unloaded at the White House to use the anniversaries of the two most damaging hurricanes in the state’s history to “push his radical Green New Deal.”

On August 29, the birthdays of both Hurricanes Katrina and Ida When it makes landfall in the Pelican State, each storm is the most destructive and the second most destructive hurricane in the state’s history, respectively.

In response to a tweet recognizing the anniversaries of the two storms, White House regional communications director Dhara Nayyar said hurricanes and other natural disasters are a “reminder” of the “climate crisis.”

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A visible satellite image of Hurricane Ida making landfall in the Gulf of Mexico taken by NOAA’s GOES-16 (GOES East) satellite at 4:10 a.m. (EDT) on Aug. 29 of 2021.
(NOAA)

“How [Biden] know, hurricanes, floods and wildfires serve as reminders that “the climate crisis is here,” Nayyar tweeted on the anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Ida.

“That’s why he announced executive actions to combat this emergency and protect communities from the impacts that are already at hand,” he continued.

Louisiana Republicans had choice words for the administration over the tweet, with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise blasting the White House over the tweet in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“On the anniversary of tragedies like Hurricane Katrina that claimed more than a thousand lives, primarily due to the failure of federal levees, the White House should focus more on fulfilling its commitment to our communities instead of using the anniversary of a tragedy to push his radical Green New Deal agenda that is crushing families by raising energy costs on hard-working taxpayers,” Scalise said.

“Our communities include hardworking, resilient people who have weathered storms and other adversities for generations, and they will always come back stronger,” said the number two House Republican. “President Biden’s actions have raised gas prices for Louisiana families while decimating the energy industry in the world’s cleanest producing county, all while calling on Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia to produce more carbon-intensive energy that costs us more at the pump and on our utility bills.”

The Mound Underpass on Interstate 10 near downtown New Orleans is flooded as Hurricane Katrina batters the city with wind and torrential rain.
(AP)

Rep. Clay Higgins, Scalise’s fellow Republican from Louisiana, told Fox News Digital that everything “the Biden administration does is agenda-driven.”

“It’s not unusual to see Biden officials use the anniversary of the hurricanes to push their Green New Deal agenda,” Higgins said Tuesday. “Historically, the Louisiana delegation has always struggled to provide disaster recovery funding for South Louisiana, and I support focused and fiscally responsible investments in flood and storm mitigation.”

“Hurricanes are a part of life in South Louisiana. My office also supports a comprehensive energy policy,” he continued. “However, I am 100% opposed to Biden arming the federal government to regulate and tax the oil and gas industry that doesn’t exist.”

When asked for comment on the criticism, White House spokesman Andrew Bates pointed to an earlier Fox News report “based on a NOAA report during the Trump administration,” that hurricanes are strengthening as Earth’s climate warms.”

“And as Senator Cassidy said regarding the climate resiliency funding we worked together to include in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, “2020 set a national record for the most named storms in a single season ” and ‘Hurricane Ida reminded us that we need to strengthen the infrastructure that protects us from the worst of these,'” Bates said.

“We are committed to overcoming the unprecedented national security and economic threat of climate change, building a stronger and more competitive economy, and creating millions of new jobs in the process,” he continued. “We encourage Representative Scalise to work with us on this effort, instead of voting to defund the police by eliminating the COPS program.”

White House senior adviser Mitch Landrieu also weighed in online, writing that “the climate crisis has increased the frequency and intensity of storms, creating [and] national security risks”.

“We need to build a more resilient physical infrastructure [and] natural,” continued Landrieu. “Fortunately, [Biden] brought together Dems [and] Republicans to approve the Bipartisanship Infrastructure Act”.

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, Louisiana lawmakers like Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy called for federal aid for storm recovery, as is often the case.

Louisiana Republican Rep. Garret Graves, a leader in Hurricane Katrina recovery, said in 2019 that the GOP and Democrats must come together to find solutions to help local communities prepare for environmental changes .

“There’s a built-up momentum in the atmosphere right now where adaptation is what you have to do, no matter what, right out of the gate,” Graves said.

2020 also saw a record 30 named hurricanes, five of which hit Louisiana.

Hurricane Katrina of 2005 is a notorious name in the history of the United States as the most destructive natural disaster in the history of the United States.

Bryan Vernon and Dorothy Bell are rescued from the roof after the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
(AP)

Most of Katrina’s damage came from torrential flooding, particularly in New Orleans, where several levees broke, allowing water to enter the city below sea level.

the flood it covered 80% of the city, destroying New Orleans. Additionally, 80 percent of the 1,464 deaths caused by Katrina came from New Orleans.

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Fiscally, Katrina is estimated to have caused $96 billion in damage. Meanwhile, 2021’s Hurricane Ida is estimated to exceed $95 billion, placing it as the the seventh costliest hurricane since then the beginning of the millennium.

Ida’s cost was initially estimated at $70 billion to $80 billion. The 2021 storm also killed 87 Americans out of the 107 killed in the storm.