WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden delivered a stark warning Wednesday about the dangerous hurricane barreling toward Florida, he shot down misinformation about the storm, including one particular conspiracy theory propagated by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather, we’re controlling the weather. It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s so stupid, it’s got to stop,” Biden said during televised remarks at the White House.
The storm is expected to make landfall in Florida later Wednesday and could be catastrophic for the region.
Greene said in an Oct. 3 post on X: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
One of Greene’s GOP colleagues, Rep. Carlos Giménez of Florida, wrote in response on X Wednesday morning: “Humans cannot create or control hurricanes. Anyone who thinks they can, needs to have their head examined.”
Biden also held a virtual briefing at the White House earlier on Wednesday as he received updates about Hurricane Milton. At around the same time, Greene repeated her weather claim and suggested that the federal government was aware of it.
“Well some of them are listed on NOAA, as well as most of the ways weather can be modified, because they are required to report it to the Secretary of Commerce by the Weather Modification Act of 1972,” she wrote on X, referring to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “The NOAA government website has a library catalog of 1,026 entries of weather modifications, but that’s not all of them.”
She continued, “If your home or business or property is damaged or a loved one is killed by their weather modifications shouldn’t you be eligible for compensation? After all, did they ask you if you agreed to our weather being modified?”
On Tuesday, she quoted an article from The Gateway Pundit, a far-right website known for spreading conspiracy theories, that said: “Marjorie Taylor Greene was right. Yes, scientists do control the weather.”
Biden also said in his virtual briefing Wednesday that Greene’s conspiracy theory was among the “reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies” over the last few weeks. The president said that it’s undermining rescues in the wake of Hurricane Helene and he accused former President Donald Trump of leading “the onslaught of lies.”
“Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated. That’s simply not true,” he said. “They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more. That’s simply not true. They’re saying the money is needed for this crisis is being diverted to migrants. What a ridiculous thing to say — it’s not true.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency set up a website to deal with the influx of rumors spreading about the hurricanes, including the false claim that FEMA is redirecting disaster relief toward migrants.
Weather systems as large as hurricanes cannot be controlled by humans through existing technology. However, there have been efforts to modify the weather in a very limited way with cloud-seeding technologies.
Cloud seeding, which dates back to the 1950s, typically involves spraying silver iodide into clouds to draw water out of the atmosphere and assist the formation of ice crystals that produce snow or rainfall. Cloud seeding programs are more common in western states with dwindling water supplies.
As climate change worsens because of fossil fuel pollution, some scientists have held preliminary discussions about whether broad-scale geoengineering projects could help prevent the harms associated with warming temperatures.
Federal researchers have taken only a few small steps toward studying geoengineering projects’ feasibility, and atmospheric scientists say there is no evidence of any large-scale programs.
NBC News has reached out to Greene’s office and Trump’s campaign for comment.
Another Republican, Rep. Chuck Edwards, of North Carolina, put out a statement Tuesday shooting down the “outrageous rumors” about Hurricane Helene and the federal government’s response to it.
“Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock,” he said. “Nobody can control the weather.”
After making his remarks at the White House on Wednesday evening, Biden was asked whether he believes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis should take calls from Vice President Kamala Harris, after NBC News first reported that the Republican governor refused her calls on storm recovery after Hurricane Helene battered parts of his state.
“All I can tell you is I’m talking to Governor DeSantis. He’s been very gracious, he’s thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows we’re doing, and, and I think that’s important,” Biden said.
