Trump Approves DC Emergency Declaration Before Biden Inauguration

President Donald Trump on Monday declared an emergency for the District of Columbia, stretching through Jan. 24 and arising from the Jan. 20 inauguration of Joe Biden.

The move came after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser over the weekend asked Trump to issue an emergency declaration about concerns about potential threats to the inauguration on Jan. 20 after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

A statement from the White House said:

 “The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the District of Columbia.”

“Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 100 percent Federal funding.”

Local and federal authorities have expressed concern about more violence erupting in the leadup to and during Biden’s inauguration.

Biden has indicated he intends to proceed with the inauguration which was already streamlined and virtual because of the pandemic despite the violence at the Capitol. President Trump will not be attending, but Vice President Mike Pence will.

Earlier on Monday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser stated that Americans should stay away from inaugural events and requested an emergency declaration to beef up security in the nation’s capital.

Sources: Fox News, Politico, and CBS; Photo: wtnh.com