Harris, Emhoff cancel trip to Singapore, Middle East, Germany amid California fires
Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff announced their decision to cancel their upcoming international trips on Thursday in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires.
“In response to the historic wildfires in Los Angeles, the Vice President has made the decision to cancel her and the Second Gentleman’s upcoming trip to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
“She will remain in the United States to support the federal response in California.”
The move follows President Biden’s decision to cancel his trip to Italy for the same reason.
Harris and Biden met with California leaders for a public briefing on Thursday to assess the wildfires and offer solutions to the growing threat to citizens on the West Coast.
The president announced that the federal government would cover 100 percent of the disaster response to the fires for the next 180 days, offsetting some of the local officials' angst.
Harris's decision comes amid criticism Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has faced for being on an international trip in Ghana when the wide-scale fires broke out across the Los Angeles region.