Louisiana Governor to Press Biden to Declare Emergency in Wake of New Orleans Truck Attack

‘I look forward to President Biden ... approving my request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration,’ Gov. Landry said. ‘This is no time to play around.’

A black flag with white lettering lies on the ground rolled up behind a pickup truck that a man drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing and injuring a number of people, on the early morning of Jan. 1, 2025. Gerald Herbert, File/AP Photo

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has announced his intention to ask President Joe Biden to declare an emergency in the state of Louisiana to unlock federal assistance that he says is needed to bolster the state’s response to the recent New Orleans truck attack and support enhanced measures to prevent potential future attacks.

Landry made the announcement in a statement on Jan. 6, the same day that Biden committed to providing the state with additional federal resources to assist in its response to the attack but stopped short of declaring an emergency.