Joe Biden Heads to California Under Storm Clouds

President Joe Biden will visit California on Thursday and tour areas affected by the recent winter storms as he faces increasing pressure in Washington, D.C. California

has faced major storms and flooding since late December and the White House announced early on Wednesday that Biden had made more federal disaster assistance available to the

state. The president is also facing difficulties in Washington as newly appointed Special Counsel Robert Hur investigates the discovery of classified documents at Biden's

Delaware home and former office. The new House Republican majority is also launching a series of probes into the Biden administration and Republican Representative James

Comer, chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, made criticisms on Sunday. Comer told CNN that the Biden administration "hasn't been transparent about

what's going on with President Biden's possession of classified documents." Biden will arrive into California's Santa Clara County at 3.10 p.m. E.T. (12.10 p.m. P.T.) on

Thursday, according to a schedule released by the White House on Wednesday. Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will

accompany the president on Air Force One. The president will survey storm-ravaged areas via helicopter as he makes his way to Santa Cruz County, where he will talk with

local residents and business owners affected by the storms, before meeting first responders and officials. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said in a statement on

Monday that at least 20 people had died as a result of the storms and that the weather had "forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents."