President Joe Biden on Wednesday canceled the final foreign trip of his presidency to Rome and the Vatican, choosing instead to stay in Washington to oversee the response to the devastating wildfires in California.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday canceled the final foreign trip of his presidency to Rome and the Vatican, choosing instead to stay in Washington to monitor the response. Destructive fires in California.
Biden was due to leave Thursday evening, after that Paying tribute to former President Jimmy Carter At a memorial service in Washington, D.C., for a three-day trip to meet with Pope Francis and Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The trip was a coda to the US’s second Catholic president’s time in the White House and a last chance to demonstrate the strength of American alliances before leaving office on January 20.
The announcement of the cancellation of the trip came a few hours after Biden left Los Angeles his first great-grandchildHe was born on Wednesday in a nearby hospital. Before returning to Washington, he received a briefing from the local fire department, as smoke and ash from wildfires in the area clouded the daytime sky.
“After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where he met with police, firefighters and emergency workers battling the historic wildfires in the area earlier this morning, and after approving a Major Disaster declaration for California, President Biden has decided to cancel his next trip. Italy will respond in the next few days will focus on correcting the entire federal,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement.
The massive Palisades fire broke out Tuesday morning while Biden was in Los Angeles, and strong winds that helped fuel his massive spread forced the president to cancel a planned visit to Thermal. two new national monuments announced.
While returning to Washington on Wednesday, Biden approved a federal major disaster declaration for Los Angeles County, making federal funding available for temporary shelters and home repairs, as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. It also provides additional financial assistance to state and local governments to cover the costs of fighting and cleaning up after wildfires.
