WASHINGTON – President Biden plans to move to Texas next week as the Lone Star State is reeling from a crisis-level storm, leaving millions without electricity or drinking water.
“It depends, but the answer is yes,” Biden told reporters on Friday if he would visit Texas, but said he did not want to disturb the recovery efforts.
“I don’t want to be a burden. When a president lands in any city in America, it has a long tail.
“If indeed it is concluded that I can do it without making it a burden, I plan to leave. We will make that decision early next week.
At least 40 people have died after historically low temperatures in Texas, knocking out huge swaths of state electricity and cold pipes.
An 11-year-old boy was found dead in his bed of suspected hypothermia on Monday when lightning struck his mobile home, while a woman and young girl were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning while they were sitting in an enclosed garage. A car was running because there was no heat in their house.
As of Friday afternoon, 170,000 homes had no electricity, down from a peak of over 4 million, and more than 7 million people have been instructed to boil tap water before drinking.
On Friday, Biden said he would sign a major disaster declaration, which would help the Federal Emergency Management Agency expedite its response to the crisis.
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