A state senator representing Uvalde, Texas, says President Joe Biden indicated a willingness to provide federal money to raze Robb Elementary School and build another in its place following the shooting there.
Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat, said Biden floated the idea of federal grants for building a new school and paying for long-term health care needs in the community when he visited the grieving community this weekend.
“He said, ‘I’m not going to leave here, we’re gonna bring resources, we’re gonna look at bringing a federal grant to raze the school,’” Gutierrez said Monday on MSNBC. “Every parent that I’ve talked to doesn’t want to see this school again, is traumatized. Every little kid that I’ve talked to is scared to even go near the school.”
Gutierrez made similar remarks to the local news outlet KSAT over the weekend. There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Other mass shooting sites also have been razed and rebuilt, including the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The president and the first lady visited Uvalde on Sunday, meeting with first responders and grieving with the families of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting rampage at the elementary school.
The Bidens visited the school and attended mass at a local church, where demonstrators nearby chanted “Do something.” The president mouthed back, “We will.”
Speaking with MSNBC, Gutierrez added that he broke down while talking with Jill Biden.
“Having both of them here was really important for this community,” he said.
Josh Lederman contributed.