Staff Reports
The White House has finally pulled it together and granted disaster relief for 67 Texas counties hammered by Hurricane Beryl. This comes after a rather public spat between President Joe Biden and Governor Greg Abbott over the delay in federal assistance. True to form, Biden’s camp tried to pin the confusion on Abbott, while the governor was conveniently on an economic mission in Asia.
Governor Abbott made it clear that Texas had filed the necessary paperwork for federal disaster help only a day before the approval came through. This was no doubt a crucial move to get some much-needed aid flowing to Texans who have been left high and dry by the storm.
I am disappointed that President Biden is turning Hurricane Beryl into a political issue. We had a cordial call today that ended up with him granting my request for a major disaster declaration. But that’s not good enough for him. He is falsely accusing me that I was not…
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) July 9, 2024
Meanwhile, Biden indicated to the Houston Chronicle that his hands were tied without a formal request from Texas. The president claimed he couldn’t get things rolling because he hadn’t been able to get that elusive request from Abbott’s office. It sounds like the age-old passing of the buck we’ve come to expect from Washington.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has been holding down the fort in Abbott’s absence and didn’t waste any time addressing Biden’s feeble excuses on social media. Patrick lambasted Biden’s comments, highlighting that FEMA officials had been on the ground with him for days. All Biden needed to do was pick up the phone, but instead, he opted to play politics. Patrick’s frustration boiled over as he called the president’s excuse a load of malarkey.
While Biden and his team indulged in their bureaucratic blame game, more than 1.3 million Texans remained without power. Hurricane Beryl cut a swath through Houston and beyond, leaving a massive trail of destruction. The affected counties span a significant chunk of the state, from the Gulf Coast to the Piney Woods and beyond.
As emergency workers scramble to restore normalcy, it’s clear that when disaster strikes, political gamesmanship shouldn’t take precedence over immediate action. Texans need results, not a lesson in Washington’s blame game tactics.
