The White House called a lid for Joe Biden on Thursday, after an inch of snow and sleet fell in Washington, DC.
Calling a “lid” informs reporters the president will not appear in public or travel anywhere for the rest of the day.
The lid was called by White House staff at 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning. A few inches of snow and sleet are forecast to fall in Washington, DC, for the rest of the day.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki plans to hold her daily 12:30 p.m. briefing over the phone, according to staff.
Wednesday night, officials announced they postponed Biden’s trip to a vaccine manufacturing facility in Michigan planned for Thursday.
Biden still has yet to publicly voice his concerns for Americans suffering in Texas, even though his predecessor former President Barack Obama voiced sympathy on Twitter for those affected by the storms.
Psaki told reporters during her phone briefing with Biden’s Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall that the White House and the federal government would continue working behind the scenes to get more aid to Texans.
“I will say that the president is abreast of the developments in Texas and other states,” Psaki said.
Sherwood-Randall cited FEMA numbers reporting that they had delivered 60 generators to various locations as well as blankets, food, and water to affected areas in the state of Texas.
She warned however that Texans would still experience rolling power outages, even though the number of residents without power was shrinking.
UPDATE: At 12:38 p.m. EST, President Biden posted the following messages on Twitter.
Jill and I are keeping Texas, Oklahoma, and other impacted states in our prayers. I’ve declared states of emergency, authorized FEMA to provide generators and supplies, and am ready to fulfill additional requests. Please heed the instructions of local officials and stay safe.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2021
Texas — Hundreds of warming centers are open across the state. Head to https://t.co/hPJawls8rQ to find the center nearest you or call 211 for additional assistance.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2021
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