Kamala Harris, climate change warrior and arms control advocate, visited Miami last week to unveil her $562 million investment in “climate resilience” — but not without a motorcade of 24 vehicles and a fleet of U.S. Coast Guard response boats armed with powerful guns.
The vice president, who a Climate Summit Miami Beach in March, returned to the city last Friday to announce plans for the multimillion-dollar project aimed at “protecting local economies and the marine ecosystem” in states prone to extreme weather events.
But despite stressing the urgency to take action against the “profound threat” of what she called a “climate crisis,” Harris herself drew attention to her own carbon footprint after flying in on Air Force Two and traveling to the event. in a convoy of gas-guzzling SUVs.
Vice President Kamala Harris is ushered in by her motorcade and security detail before speaking at the University of Miami where she announced a $562 million climate investment last Friday
As the VP has positioned herself as a champion of climate change issues and had traveled to Miami to unveil her latest initiative, she was spotted in a 24-vehicle motorcade disrupting traffic
Photos and video obtained by DailyMail.com showed Harris’s security detail covered land, air and sea, with a fleet of U.S. Coast Guard response boats patrolling the waters
Photos and video footage obtained by DailyMail.com also showed that the VP’s security detail had covered land, air and sea around the University of Miami Marine Center in Virginia Key, with several USCG and Customs and Border Protection boats also seen were deployed on the scene, in addition to the local police and Secret Service patrolling the waters of Biscayne Bay.
Not only did the two-hour event require the deployment of multiple security vehicles and craft, law enforcement officers were seen guarding the area armed with the same rifles Harris has vowed to ban.
While it is common practice for the President’s and Vice President’s security agents to be equipped with such weapons, Harris – who has repeatedly called for stricter gun laws and has positioned itself as a champion of climate issues – has yet to address its own contradictory behavior.
On a last-minute trip to Tennessee in the wake of the Nashville school shooting earlier this month, the vice president criticized the Republican-controlled state house while call to background checks, red flag laws and restrictions on assault rifles.
Harris landed in South Florida on Air Force Two before being transported to the site in a fleet of SUVs
There was also a heavy police and Secret Service presence guarding the location where Harris spoke, while the vice president’s convoy of cars and security personnel closed the main road for several minutes, witnesses told DailyMail.com
Video footage obtained by DailyMail.com showed the procession of vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies arriving in Virginia Key, Florida
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard were also seen protecting the area, armed with the same guns Harris has promised to ban
While it is common practice for the President and Vice President’s security services to be equipped with such weapons, Harris has repeatedly called for stricter gun laws
On Friday, she said funding for the climate change initiative, which will be spread across 30 states, is an example of how climate investments are boosting job creation and production while addressing an important environmental problem.
“The climate crisis is a major threat, as we all know, to our country and to the world. And every community is at risk,” she said.
“When we invest in the climate, we not only protect our environment, but we also strengthen our economy,” she added in a tweet during her visit to Miami.
There was also a heavy police and Secret Service presence guarding the location where Harris spoke, while the VP’s fleet of vehicles and security closed the main road for several minutes, witnesses told DailyMail.com.
Ironically, in addition to the Coast Guard, local police, and Secret Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service was deployed to the scene.
Harris’ trip coincided with President Biden’s signing of an executive order that the White House said will direct federal agencies to pay more attention to environmental policies that harm communities
The trip coincided with President Biden’s signing of an executive order that the White House said will direct federal agencies to pay more attention to environmental policies that harm communities.
Her visit also comes as South Florida struggles with gas shortages after floods disrupted supplies last week and caused panic buying at the pump.
The climate investment is designed to help 149 coastal communities in 30 states and territories prepare for increased flooding, sea-level rise and more intense storms, the Department of Commerce said in a statement.
It aims to protect local economies and the marine ecosystem and will include “nature-based infrastructure projects” to strengthen communities’ capacity to respond to extreme weather events, it said.