It's not every day that a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus meets with the Democratic commander in chief, but national crises have a way of creating strange bedfellows.
Representative. Ana Paulina Luna, R-Florida, told Fox News Digital she wasn't expecting a call when her phone screen displayed an unknown number for the Washington, D.C.-based government late last week. When he answered, it was President Biden's voice on the line.
“Well, I didn't expect that. So I talked to him on the phone for about 10 minutes. The first thing he asked me was what I needed for my election and how I was faring in the storm. And so (we) continuing to talk to FEMA about the issues we are facing,” Luna said
The first-term Republican, whose district was hit hard by Hurricane Milton last week, said he also met with Biden when this weekend survey of storm damage in Florida
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Representative Anna Paulina Luna shared moderate praise for President Biden's handling of Hurricane Milton so far. (Getty Images)
Luna said the pair met for a “wide-ranging” discussion about various disaster relief reforms.
It's not uncommon to see political enemies working together in the wake of a natural disaster, but the congresswoman's praise for Biden stands in stark contrast to her harsh criticism of his administration — which she herself mentioned on Fox News Digital — including pioneering effort Members of his cabinet were snubbed by the Congress.
“Obviously, I've been very critical of President Biden in the past, but I will say that him stepping forward and taking control of the situation to help a good cause was honestly kind of shocking to me,” Luna said.
Hurricane Milton took a terrifying path through Florida, leaving millions without power
“Obviously, you know, we're still going to hold FEMA accountable…But from what I can see, FEMA has been very helpful and I've been in direct contact with them. And they absolutely will help, because President Biden asked for it.
When asked about their private conversations, Luna said they talked about the situation in Georgia and North Carolina when Helen hit the American Southeast, as well as Florida's recovery after the two storms.
“One thing I really wanted to make clear was, you know, FEMA cleaning up the debris and not holding cities accountable for not removing the debris in a timely manner,” Luna said. “So we sorted it out.”
Biden assessed the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida over the weekend. (Getty Images)
He also advocated reform of the National Flood Insurance Program, which Luna said has remained largely unchanged since its creation in the 1960s.
In both conversations, Luna said Biden agreed with her that FEMA's $750 advance payment to disaster survivors was insufficient.
“He said it was a ‘bunch of bullshit,’ which is 100 percent true, and $750 wasn’t enough,” Luna said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for further comment.
A Category 3 landing in Milton, Florida
His measured response to federal relief efforts is notable given the influx of GOP-led criticism of the administration's response efforts.
It's worth noting that Biden also received praise from the Republican governors of South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia following the storm.
At the federal level, Luna is part of a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers calling for Congress to return to an early emergency session to deal with humanitarian aid — some have also been voiced by Biden.
Luna is known as one of the Biden administration's most outspoken critics in Congress. He's leading the effort to impeach Attorney General Garland here. (Getty Images)
But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has indicated on several occasions that he is unlikely to convene the House before its scheduled return a week after Election Day.
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Johnson, who has criticized the Biden administration's response, argued that the $20 billion Congress released to FEMA last month would be enough to meet immediate needs and that lawmakers could do little until a formal assessment of the damage and a cost estimate were provided.
Rep. Chuck Edwards, RNC., whose district was hit hardest by Helen, agreed with Johnson. Interview on Friday.
“I believe what we are seeing now with the calls to go back into session to approve funding is yet another distraction from the administration for their unqualified response in bringing people here to help western North Carolina,” Edwards said.
