President Donald Trump is preparing for his trip to Texas Tuesday to survey the damage from Hurricane Harvey.
The Latest on President Donald Trump’s response to Hurricane Harvey (all times EDT) :
9: 45 p.m.
President Donald Trump is preparing for his trip to Texas Tuesday to survey the damage from Hurricane Harvey, the massive storm that has dumped torrents of rain across the state, flooding Houston and other cities.
It is the first major natural disaster of Trump’s presidency, and the yet-to-be-determined scope of the damage appears likely to require a years-long federal project.
Trump is promising Texans will «have what you need» and says federal funding will come «fast.»
Trump has been eager to seize the moment. The White House announced the first visit even before Harvey made landfall.
Trump vows, «We will come out stronger and believe me, we will be bigger, better, stronger than ever before.»
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7: 05 p.m.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry has canceled a planned visit to Kazakhstan and Ukraine because of Hurricane Harvey.
Perry was due to meet Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev on Monday and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday. U. S. companies are major investors in oil-rich Kazazhstan, and Perry recently celebrated a Pennsylvania-based company’s deal to supply coal to Ukraine, saying it would bolster a key U. S. ally often threatened by Russia.
A spokeswoman said Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette led the U. S. delegation in Kazakhstan in Perry’s place. The Ukraine leg of the trip was postponed.
Perry was governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015.
Harvey has wreaked havoc along the U. S. Gulf Coast, flooding Houston and forcing the closure of several oil refineries.
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4: 40 p.m.
President Donald Trump says federal cash for storm-ravaged areas in Texas and elsewhere will arrive quickly.
He says to people suffering from Hurricane Harvey and the resulting flooding that «You’re going to have what you need and it’s going to go fast.»
Trump adds that he’s spoken with members of Congress and «everybody feels for» people in the storm’s path.
The storm has dumped historic amounts of rain on areas in and around Houston, which continues to flood. Deaths have been blamed on Hurricane Harvey, the first major natural disaster of Trump’s presidency.
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4: 35 p.m.
President Donald Trump is sending a message of support to people of Texas and Louisiana suffering from historic rain and flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
He says in an East Room press conference Monday that «We are 100 percent with you.»
Trump adds: «We will get through this. We will come out stronger and believe me we will be bigger, better, stronger than ever before.»
The president is sending the message of reassurance to people in the path of the storm, its massive rainfall and devastating floods. It’s the first major natural disaster of Trump’s presidency.
Trump is expected to visit the region beginning Tuesday.
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4: 30 p.m.
President Donald Trump says protecting American lives is his top priority as Harvey continues to pound the U. S. Gulf Coast.
He says in an East Room press conference Monday that «every asset» he can muster is at the disposal of local officials in Houston and other areas suffering under historic rainfall and flooding. Several deaths have been blamed on the storm.
Trump adds that «there’s probably never been anything like» the storm and that «recovery will be a long and difficult road.»
Hurricane Harvey is the first major natural disaster of Trump’s presidency. Trump is expected to visit the region Tuesday.
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4: 18 p.m.
George W. Bush never recovered from his flyover of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. Barack Obama got a bipartisan boost late in his re-election campaign for his handling of Superstorm Sandy.
Now, President Donald Trump is confronting the political risks and potential gains that come with leading the federal government’s response to a deadly and destructive natural disaster. Hurricane Harvey, the massive storm that has dumped torrents of rain across Texas, is the first major natural disaster of Trump’s presidency, and the yet-to-be-determined scope of the damage appears likely to require a years-long federal response.
The White House has sought to paint Trump as eagerly engaged in the initial response, including announcing plans for him to travel to Texas even before Harvey made landfall.
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