Gov. Stitt Briefs President Biden On State's Winter Weather Emergency

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and President Joe Biden had a 20-minute phone call to discuss the state’s ongoing winter weather emergency, according to the governor’s office.

It’s the first conversation between the two leaders.

“I want to thank President Biden for taking time to reach out this afternoon and offer the federal government’s help,” Stitt said in a statement. “We had a very productive call and I look forward to working together to find solutions as we recover from this historic storm.”

According to the White House, Stitt was joined on the call by governors from six other states affected by winter weather.

According to his office, Stitt told Biden about the challenges of transporting energy to the power grid, especially natural gas. Energy disruptions caused rolling blackouts across the state on Monday and Tuesday.

Stitt also asked Biden for help with increased energy bills following the record cold temperatures. Stitt’s office said the president said his team is aware of the issue and already working on a solution.

According to the White House, Biden relayed to the governors that he understood the severity of the conditions being felt across the states, and that he and the First Lady were praying for swift recovery from the effects of the storm.