SE Valley Times

Arizona State Rep. Jacqueline Parker (R) said Hawaii should reconsider electing Democrats. 

She shared a post from radio host Glenn Beck, who interviewed J.P. Decker, the Executive Director of the charity organization Mercury One. Decker discussed how residents in Lahaina, where a destructive fire occurred, felt as though they were being treated like they were in a "third-world country".

"They should stop electing democrats then. Trump would have been there & there wouldn’t be billions going to Ukraine that could have gone to Hawaii, because Ukraine would never have been invaded under Trump," Parker said.

The town of Lahaina on the island of Maui was ravaged by a wildfire on August 8th, resulting in the destruction of 3.5 square miles of land. The tragic event has already led to the loss of 114 lives, with the potential for this number to increase as recovery operations continue. Over 1000 are still reported as missing. The wildfire is said to have been fueled by intense drought conditions and wind gusts reaching speeds of up to 67 mph, according to NBC.

Criticism has been directed towards the Biden Administration for its apparent lack of concern regarding the Maui wildfire disaster. The administration has faced backlash for refraining from commenting on the situation on multiple occasions and for not visiting the island until nearly two weeks after the incident occurred. Furthermore, the relief efforts have come under scrutiny as FEMA provided "one-time payments of $700 per household to help assist survivors with immediate essentials, including clothing, food and transportation", according to USA Today.

The Biden Administration's criticized response and assistance shortfall have been linked to the substantial financial support sent to Ukraine in the past year. In total, the United States has allocated over $111 billion in aid to Ukraine, with a focus on "humanitarian, financial, and military assistance." As recently as last month, additional funding of $24 billion was requested by Biden for Ukraine, which would bring the total to $135 billion, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"When you travel around Lahaina, you see upside-down flags everywhere," said Decker during the interview, according to the X platform. "I asked a councilwoman who does not agree with us on many things, many situations in politics, but I asked her, 'What's with the upside-down flag? I know what that means. But, why do you think that?' And she said, 'Well, we don't feel like a state. We don't feel like we're taken care of by the government here in Hawaii, or even by the mainland government. We are one of the 50 states, and we're being treated like a third-world country."