President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday — the community that lost 19 children and two adults on Tuesday when a gunman targeted an elementary school.
The Bidens will first pay their respects to the victims of the horrific elementary school massacre by visiting a memorial at Robb Elementary School. They will then attend a Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the afternoon.
The president and first lady are set to meet with families of victims and survivors of the shooting “to grieve and offer their condolences,” according to the White House. They will then meet with first responders before traveling back to Delaware.
Biden addressed the shooting in a commencement speech at the University of Delaware, his alma mater, on Saturday.
“Evil came to that elementary school classroom in Texas, to that grocery store in New York, to far too many places where innocents have died,” Biden said in the address. “We have to stand stronger. We must stand stronger. We cannot outlaw tragedy, I know, but we can make America safer.”
The Bidens’ visit to Uvalde comes amid mounting scrutiny of the police response to the shooting. Officials revealed Friday that students and teachers repeatedly begged 911 operators for help even as a police commander told more than a dozen officers to wait in a hallway. Officials said the commander believed that the suspect was barricaded inside an adjoining classroom and that there was no longer an active attack.
The revelation prompted fresh anguish and questions about whether more lives were lost because officers did not act faster to stop the gunman, who was ultimately killed by Border Patrol tactical officers.
The president had initially praised local law enforcement for their efforts before details emerged of the delayed response, which has sparked widespread outrage.
Biden, whose young daughter died in 1972, spoke directly to parents of the victims in a speech earlier this week, telling them he knows that losing a child is like “having a piece of your soul ripped away.”
The first lady had confirmed their planned trip on Wednesday at an event to welcome a new shipment of baby formula, telling reporters: “Of course we’re going to Texas.”
The Bidens will make the trip nearly two weeks after they visited Buffalo, New York, to mourn with that community in the aftermath of a racist attack a grocery store that saw 10 people killed.
Last week, President Biden called for urgent action and implored lawmakers to “stand up to” pro-gun lobbies.
“Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God’s name is our backbone, or the courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbies?” he asked.
“It’s time to turn this pain into action for every parent, for every citizen in this country. We have to make it clear to every elected official in this country: it’s time to act,” he added.
The first lady, a teacher, also called for action.
“Let us pray that God cradles those broken families in the palm of his hand,” she said. “But let us also pray to use the will and courage God gives to each of us to act united, with common sense, to protect our children.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday began discussions on renewed gun safety legislation. But their time to negotiate is limited, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
Schumer plans to bring Democrat-supported bills to the Senate floor if the talks fail, and he said Democrats have “deep skepticism” about Republicans’ appetite for gun reform.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
