Biden, whose personal experience with tragedy has marked his political career, was set to reprise the role of “consoler-in-chief” a week after the 12-story building partially caved in as residents slept.
The confirmed death toll remained at 18, after the discovery of six more bodies in the ruins of the Champlain Towers South condo, including two children, aged four and 10.
Another 145 people are missing and feared trapped in the rubble, with hopes of finding any survivors dimming with each passing day.
After arriving in Miami, Biden attended a briefing with local officials, including Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024.
Biden told them that he would deliver “whatever you need”, and said he expected the federal government would cover the full costs for the county and state.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “This is life or death.”
Workers at the site were instructed to stop just after 2am yesterday, when movement in the debris raised concerns that the part of the building still standing could collapse, officials said.
“The search-and-rescue operation will continue as soon as it is safe to do so,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news briefing.
Officials said they were unsure when that would happen.
Authorities said they have not given up on locating survivors.
But nobody has been pulled alive from the wreckage since the early hours of the disaster in the oceanfront town of Surfside, adjacent to Miami Beach.
Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said rescuers did hear signs of life during their initial efforts last week.
“They were searching for a female voice, is what we heard for several hours,” he said. “Eventually, we didn’t hear her voice anymore.”
Officials are also keeping a watchful eye on Tropical Storm Elsa, which formed over the Atlantic and could reach south Florida by Monday, potentially hampering search operations.
Among those travelling with Biden yesterday were US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose district includes the collapse site; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell; and Liz Sherwood-Randall, White House homeland security adviser.
Biden had delayed his visit to Florida to avoid interrupting rescue efforts.
FEMA has dispatched five urban search-and-rescue teams – each comprised of 80 members – to assist in sifting through the rubble, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One.
DeSantis said that workers have removed some 1,400 tonnes of material from the collapse site.
Toys found in the rubble are left by rescue workers at the makeshift memorial for the victims of the building collapse near the crash site in Surfside, Florida, north of Miami Beach.