**Biden Defends Oversight of Hurricane Response from Delaware Vacation Home**

WASHINGTON - President Biden faced pointed questions on Monday regarding his decision to monitor the impact of a deadly hurricane from his vacation home in Delaware rather than from the White House. In a tense exchange with a journalist, Biden, 81, emphasized the effectiveness of remote communication in managing the situation.

"Why weren't you and Vice President Harris here in Washington commanding this this weekend?" the journalist inquired during Biden's appearance at the White House. The president, visibly irked, responded that he had been actively involved. "I was commanding it. I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday and the day before as well. I commanded it," he asserted, adding sharply, "It's called a telephone."

Biden's comments came as Vice President Harris, 59, was returning from her own weekend engagements in Arizona and Nevada. The president addressed the media about the ongoing disaster recovery efforts, with reports indicating that over 100 people may have lost their lives due to Hurricane Helene, primarily in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

On the issue of funding for recovery, Biden noted on Monday that he might seek additional resources from Congress, despite having suggested otherwise on Sunday upon his return to Washington. His shifting stance underscored the evolving response to the disaster's aftermath.

Before boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base, Biden was asked if he had any message for the hurricane victims. "It's a tragedy... We've given them all that, everything that we have. We're on the ground ahead of time. So we're working hard," he said. When pressed about the potential need for more federal resources, he firmly responded, "No, we've given them - we preplanned a significant amount of it."