Harris cuts campaign trip short to visit FEMA for Helene briefing

Vice President Harris is cutting her campaign swing on the west coast short to return to Washington, D.C., for a briefing on Hurricane Helene.

A White House official said Harris will depart Las Vegas on Monday morning, canceling planned campaign stops, to head back to the nation’s capital. Harris will visit Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters for a briefing on the impacts of Helene and updates on the federal response, the official said.

Harris on Sunday spoke with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) about the aftermath of the storm and reached out to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R). Harris is expected to visit affected areas “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations,” a White House official said.

The vice president late last week traveled to Arizona and spent the weekend holding fundraisers in California before holding a rally in Nevada on Sunday night.

Former President Trump, the GOP nominee, is expected to visit Georgia on Monday for a briefing on the storm.

Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing with it devastating winds and rainfall. At least 91 people have been killed across several states, The Associated Press reported.

President Biden has spoken with state and local officials in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and the federal government has deployed thousands of workers to help provide resources and coordinate the response to the storm.