President Biden may travel to Texas “as early as this week” to review the damage caused by the devastating power outages and freezing temperatures, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Sunday.
Psaki said the president has received constant updates from his head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is “eager” to show his support for the Lone Star State.
“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 doesn’t want to take away resources or attention, ”Psaki said on ABC News’ “This Week”.
“And we will do this at the appropriate time in coordination with people on the ground. It could be this week, ”she said.
Biden signed a declaration of major disaster on Saturday, which unlocked federal funds for Texas-ravaged residents.
But Jon Karl of ABC noted that Texas Governor Greg Abbott characterized aid as a “partial” solution because it included only 77 or the state’s 254 counties and that the government wanted assistance to cover all of Texas.
Karl asked Psaki about it. ”What happens here is that the governor has requested a federal disaster declaration. The president asked his team to expedite this, ”said the spokeswoman. “And FEMA has determined where counties should be – where immediate resources should be concentrated, where the counties most affected so they can ensure they reach the most needy people.”
Psaki said that federal aid is intended not only to take care of the emergency, but also to continue during the recovery.
“People who don’t have water, don’t have heating, need a place to stay for a while, that’s what this declaration of great disaster will help to resolve, or that’s our hope,” she said.
A recent winter storm that brought freezing temperatures, snow and ice to Texas was exacerbated by widespread power cuts after the state’s power grid failed, leaving thousands of people without heat and water and causing billions of dollars in damage.
At least 70 people died in the south because of the storms, with most deaths occurring in Texas.