Biden Criticized for $700 Payments to Hawaii Families After Billions Spent on Ukraine

President Joe Biden speaks in Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 15, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Biden administration’s decision to provide the survivors of Hawaii wildfires with $700 in payments is drawing blowback as many critics point towards the billions spent in monetary assistance on supporting Ukrainian war efforts.

“We’re laser-focused on getting aid to survivors, including Critical Needs Assistance: a one-time $700 payment per household offering relief during an unimaginably difficult time,” President Biden said in an Aug. 14 post on social media.

According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CFRB), Congress authorized $113.1 billion for Ukraine in 2022.

Ukraine is home to 36.89 million people. As such, the per-citizen aid, on average, added up to more than $3,065 last year alone—over four times the amount offered to Hawaii families.

The $700 aid came as the United States announced a $200 million assistance package for Ukraine.

“Biden sent $200 [million] to Ukraine today. He also sent $700 per household to Hawaiian families affected by the deadly fires. An estimated 2,600 structures were burned, which means [President Biden] sent approx. $1.8 [million] in Critical Needs Assistance. Ukraine: $200 [million]. Hawaii: $1.8 [million]. This is America Last,” political influencer Rogan O’Handley said in an Aug. 15 post on social media.

“Can someone please explain to me why our leaders are so reckless with money sent to Ukraine but then pinch pennies when the money is spent on Americans?” investor and media personality Collin Rugg said in an Aug. 15 post on social media.

“Billions in property damage, many lives lost, livelihoods ruined, and the best the president can do is $700… Maui should just change their island name to Ukraine at this point.”

Amid the destruction in Hawaii, a White House spokesperson defended the Biden administration’s decision to send additional aid to Ukraine.

“The recent supplemental package reflects urgent needs through the end of the year both with respect to national security and critical domestic areas like disaster relief,” the spokesperson said, according to Fox News.

Last week, the White House outlined a funding request, asking Congress for $24 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 to fund humanitarian, military, and financial assistance in Ukraine. $8.5 billion is to be set aside for economic, humanitarian, and security assistance.

“Joe Biden has the audacity to send a one-time $700 payment to Maui residents while simultaneously asking Congress for another $24 billion to send to Ukraine. Wake Up America,” Mayra Flores, the first Mexican-born Congresswoman in American history, said in an Aug. 15 post on social media.

Biden’s ‘Shocking’ Comment

The controversy over $700 payments boiled up after President Biden was criticized for initially refusing to comment on the Maui wildfire disaster.

On Sunday, a Bloomberg White House correspondent asked President Biden about the rising death toll in Maui, to which he curtly replied, “No comment.” The president had spent the weekend vacationing in Rehoboth, Delaware.

In an interview with Fox News, former Hawaii state Rep. Mark Kaniela Ing, a Democrat, called Biden’s remark “shocking.”

A burnt-out car lies in the driveway of a charred apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii, on Aug. 12, 2023.Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

“When tragedies like this occur, it’s shocking to see people just conducting business as usual … On the one hand, you don’t want everyone to be in a perpetual somber mood, but on the other hand, how can you just carry on like that?” he said.

In a now-deleted social media post, Mr. Kaniela Ing wrote, “I campaigned for you. Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbors. This?”

“Biden doesn’t give AF about the suffering people of Maui. Or the suffering people of East Palestine, Ohio. Or the suffering people in border towns. Or the suffering people anywhere in America,” Monica Crowley, a former U.S. Treasury Department assistant secretary for public affairs during the Trump administration, said in an Aug. 14 post on social media.

In a statement to Fox News, a White House spokesperson pushed back on criticism against the Biden administration.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has mobilized a robust whole-of-government response effort to support immediate and long-term rescue and recovery efforts in Maui, Hawaii,” the spokesperson stated.

The Maui Disaster

According to an Aug. 15 update by the County of Maui, the number of confirmed fatalities was 106. In a CBS interview that aired Monday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said that the death toll could rise by 100 to 200 individuals, putting the total as high as 300.

“We are prepared for many tragic stories,” he said. The Governor estimated the number of unaccounted people to be at 1,300.

The fire in Lahaina was 85 percent contained as of Aug. 15, having burned an estimated 2,170 acres. The Kula fire was 75 percent contained. In some regions, power has been restored.

An aerial image shows destroyed cars in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii, on Aug. 10, 2023. Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

An “unsafe water advisory” has been issued for Lahaina and Upper Kula regions impacted by the wildfires.

“Bottled water should be used for all drinking, brushing teeth, ice making, and food preparation until further notice. Residents are unable to treat the water in any way to make it safe,” said the update from County of Maui.

Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian utility companies alleging that the devastating wildfire in Lahaina was triggered by power lines that were brought down by high winds. Officials have not yet determined the cause of the fires.