Biden To Authorize Broader Disaster Relief For Texas

President Biden said Friday he will sign a major disaster declaration that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is requesting, which would open up broader federal aid for immediate and long-term recovery efforts in the state, including for both individual needs and public infrastructure.

Biden and Abbott spoke Thursday night regarding the response.

Texas has been at the mercy of an unprecedented winter storm, which has left many of the state's residents without heat, power and potable water for several days. Several people, some homeless, have died in the freezing temperatures.

Departing the White House for a trip to Michigan, the president told reporters he's asked the Department of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense to identify resources that could help the recovery in Texas.

Biden said he wants to visit Texas, but does not want his visit to be a "burden" on recovery efforts. The president said he may decide early next week whether to go.

Earlier, the White House put out a list of nearly two dozen local officials in the state it had been in contact with this week regarding relief efforts. [Copyright 2021 NPR]