DeSantis Slams Kamala Harris for Backing Port Strikes Amid Hurricane Recovery

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tore into Vice President Kamala Harris this week for her support of the crippling port strikes that are grinding the U.S. economy to a halt. As tens of thousands of dock workers from the International Longshoremen’s Association walked off the job at ports along the East and Gulf coasts, essential supplies are stuck at sea leaving Americans who are already suffering from hurricane damage in a deeper crisis.

Harris, showing little regard for the billions in economic losses the strikes are causing daily, issued a single tone-deaf statement in support of the workers. “This strike is about fairness,” she claimed, arguing that foreign-owned shipping companies have raked in record profits. But in the middle of a national disaster, fairness for unions shouldn’t take precedence over the immediate needs of American citizens.

At a press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis blasted Harris and the administration for their reckless position on the strikes, especially as Florida and other Gulf Coast states are scrambling to recover from hurricane damage. “One of the things I’m concerned about is potentially these ports getting hung up,” DeSantis said. “It’s totally unacceptable to intentionally deprive people of the supplies they need to rebuild their homes after a natural disaster.”

DeSantis didn’t mince words, criticizing the Biden-Harris administration for allowing the strike to disrupt the flow of critical supplies when Americans need them most. “Now is not the time,” he added, stressing that millions of families across Florida are struggling to recover. The last thing they need is for supplies to be delayed by bureaucratic indifference and union demands.

Here’s what’s at stake:

• Millions of dollars in hurricane recovery supplies are sitting idly offshore, while Americans wait to rebuild their homes and lives.

• The longer these strikes last, the more severe the economic damage, delaying critical goods from reaching families devastated by storms.

• The Biden-Harris administration’s weak stance on ensuring supply chains remain open during emergencies could set back recovery efforts by weeks, if not longer.

DeSantis emphasized that people all along the Gulf Coast, not just in Florida, are in desperate need of supplies, and that the federal government’s inaction is inexcusable. “It’s not something that will be good if they allow this to happen,” he said, warning that the administration’s failure to act could have long-lasting consequences for hurricane recovery efforts across the region.

The port strikes come at a critical moment, as Florida, particularly Pinellas County and the Big Bend area, works to recover from a devastating hurricane season. DeSantis has been leading recovery efforts and assisting neighboring states, but his job is made far more difficult with vital goods stuck offshore, waiting to be unloaded.

It’s a damning reflection of the Biden-Harris administration’s priorities. Rather than focusing on ensuring Americans have access to the supplies they need, Harris is siding with labor unions, backing strikes that hold the nation’s economy hostage and threaten to prolong the suffering of storm victims. This is yet another example of how out of touch this administration is with the realities Americans are facing on the ground.

As DeSantis continues to lead the charge in helping Floridians rebuild, it's clear that real leadership means putting people before politics. Harris and the Biden administration could learn a thing or two from DeSantis’ approach, but as long as they prioritize union demands over the well-being of American citizens, the suffering will continue.

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