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President Biden could travel to Texas “as early as this week” to review the damage caused by devastating blackouts and freezing temperatures, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Sunday.
Psaki said the president received constant updates from his head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was “eager” to show his support for the Lone Star State.
WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE WELCOME TO TEXAS AND SOUTHERN STATES AS RECOVERY BEGINS
“But he is also keenly aware that it is no small feat for a president to travel to a disaster area. He does not want to waste resources or attention,” Psaki told ABC News “This Week”.
“And we will do it at the appropriate time in coordination with the people on the ground. It could be as early as this week,” she said.
Biden signed a major disaster declaration on Saturday that released federal funds for residents of weather-ravaged Texas.
But ABC’s Jon Karl noted that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the aid a “partial” solution because it only included 77 of the state’s 254 counties and Abbott wanted help covers all of Texas.
Karl asked Psaki about the problem.
“What is happening here is that the governor has asked for a federal declaration of disaster. The president has asked his team to expedite this,” the spokeswoman said. “And FEMA has determined where the counties should be – where it should focus immediate resources, where the hardest hit counties are so they can make sure they’re reaching the people who need them most.”
Psaki said federal aid was aimed not only at dealing with the emergency, but also to continue the recovery.
“People who have no water, no heat, need a place to stay for a while, that’s what this declaration of major disaster will help solve, or that’s our hope.” , she said.
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A recent winter storm that brought freezing temperatures, snow and ice to Texas was made worse by widespread blackouts after the state’s power grid went out, leaving thousands of people without heat and without water and causing billions of dollars in damage.
At least 70 people have died in the south from the storms, with the majority of the deaths occurring in Texas.
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