More than 1,000 protesters gathered Monday in Boise during a visit by President Joe Biden to rail against his plan to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control, last year’s presidential election and a host of other issues.
Biden visited Boise as part of a swing through three Western states to promote his administration’s use of a wartime law to aid in wildfire preparedness, survey wildfire damage and push his economic agenda. He arrived at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise late Monday morning to meet with fire officials and Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little.
Many protesters carried expletive-laden signs or waved U.S. flags hung upside down as a signal of distress. Several protesters gathered to voice their opposition to the President’s recently announced vaccine mandate for companies that employ more than 100 workers. Others protested the presidential election results.
Governor Little announced last week he was working with the state’s attorney general to fight Biden’s vaccine mandate through the legal system.
During the briefing inside the National Interagency Fire Center, Biden said global warming is a serious problem and told wildland firefighters the nation owed it to them to ensure they have the equipment they need for firefighting. His administration last month activated the Defense Production Act to boost supplies from a U.S. Forest Service firefighting equipment supplier. The President also talked about raising wages for federal firefighters and other strategies to deal with wildfires.
Biden was also scheduled to visit Sacramento and Denver during the two-day trip and will campaign in California for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faces a recall election on Tuesday. (AP)
