President Biden could travel to Texas “as soon as this week” to review the damage caused by the devastating power outages and icy temperatures there, White House spokesman Jen Psaki said Sunday.
Psaki said the president was constantly updated on his head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was “eager” to show his support for the Lone Star State.
WARMER TEMPERATURE BRINGS WELCOME ENGAGEMENT TEXAS AND SOUTHERN STATES AS RECOVERY
“But he is also very aware of the fact that it is not a light footprint for a president to travel to a disaster area. He does not want to take away resources or attention,” Psaki said. said on ABC News’s ‘This Week’.
“And we’re going to do it at an appropriate time in collaboration with people on the ground. It can only happen this week,” she said.
Biden on Saturday signed a major disaster statement unlocking federal funds for residents of the weather-stricken Texas.
But Jon Karl of ABC noted that the Texas government, Greg Abbott, described the aid as a “partial” solution because it included only 77 of the state’s 254 counties and that Abbott wanted the aid to cover the entire Texas deck.
Karl asked Psaki about the issue.
“What is happening here is that the governor has requested a federal disaster statement. The president has asked his team to expedite it,” the spokesman said. “And FEMA has determined where the provinces should be – where it should focus the immediate resources, where the provinces hardest hit should make sure they reach the people in most need.”
Psaki said the federal aid was not only meant to take care of the emergencies but also to continue the recovery.
“People who do not have water, do not have heating, need some time to stay, that is what will help that great catastrophe, or that is our hope,” she said.
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A recent winter storm that brought cold temperatures and snow and ice to Texas was exacerbated by widespread electrical outages after the state’s power grid failed, leaving thousands without heat and water and causing billions of dollars in damages.
At least 70 people have died in the south due to the storms, with the majority dying in Texas.
Click here to read more from The New York Post.