In a short speech at a Denver County community center, Biden offered short- and long-term help to the families. "We're here with you," he said. "We're not going to go away. The federal government's not going away." He promised to help clear the debris and assist people in rebuilding or relocating.
People gathered outside the center and along the route, with at least one person carrying a Colorado state flag. "The commitment began the day the fire started," Biden said. He noted that the disaster declaration was approved on New Year's Eve.
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Biden suggested that climate change, or a "change in the weather," played a role. Drought and extreme heat over the summer created a "tinderbox" and "supercharged" the fires, he said.
The president also pushed his stalled Build Back Better legislation and spoke of unconfirmed tragedies in his own life. "Hang on to each other," he said. "The way you're going to get through this — I've been through a few things myself — is to hang on to one another."
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Before meeting separately with the families dealing with the destruction, the president and first lady Jill Biden toured a neighborhood in the Louisville area where some 1,000 homes were destroyed in the late December Marshall Fire.
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In Harper Lake, the president hugged a lady before she turned to explain the damage behind her caused by the fire. Snow coated the charred remains of homes, trees, and burned-out cars.
The first lady hugged a man dressed in shorts who said his family had “lost everything” in the fire before Biden walked over and embraced him.
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“I’m not even properly dressed because this is all I have,” the man told Biden, gesturing to his clothing. “We definitely need help,” the man’s son said.
Biden and the first lady shook hands with a group of 10 fire and rescue officials, with the president giving each a challenge coin.
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Last week, the president announced that the fire was a federal disaster, unlocking aid for those affected.
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Biden was met by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis upon his arrival in Denver, traveling with the state’s Democratic federal congressional delegation, including Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and U.S. representatives Jason Crow and Joe Neguse.
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Reporters traveling with the president to Harper Lake spotted several climate change protesters holding a banner that read “Code Red.”
Biden’s visit comes amid major challenges to his administration, including a stalled social spending bill, rising prices, COVID cases, and supply shortages.
Polis has been outspoken on the need for federal assistance, calling on Biden in December to offer economic relief to people suffering from the costs of inflation.
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