President Joe Biden told The Houston Chronicle on Tuesday that federal officials had not been able to get in touch with Texas state leaders for days – leading to a delayed distribution of emergency-relief supplies in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.

The president told The Chronicle he had been trying to “track down” the governor to start the process of requesting aid. “I’ve been trying to track down the governor to see – I don’t have the authority to do that without a specific request from the governor,” Biden told the paper.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been in Asia for the past several days, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has assumed the role of acting governor during the state’s response to the storm in his absence. The White House told the paper that officials have tried to reach Patrick and Abbott “multiple times.”

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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    6 months ago

    “We’ve been trying to reach you about your state’s extended warranty hurricane relief”

    But seriously, those two assholes are doing this solely as a political stunt, and the people of Texas are being used as pawns.

    Maybe, Texas, don’t elect these kinds of assholes, yeah?

    • SolidGrue@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Maybe, Texas, don’t elect these kinds of assholes, yeah?

      I’ve never known Texas to back down from a fight it couldn’t win.

    • GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Some of us are trying! We were only 600,000 votes from giving our electoral votes to Biden in 2020. Biden actually received more votes in TX than NY, we just have a lot more conservatives that vote.

      It would help if we could get more people to the polls and if the media would push the 2 week early voting period. There’s hardly ever a line more than 5-10 minutes during early voting. They even require polls in the second week to be open at least 12 hours a day during the weekday with optional polling hours on the weekend.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Maybe, Texas, don’t elect these kinds of assholes, yeah?

      Easier said than done. It’s one of the most gerrymandered of all the states, with the fascist occupation forces pretty much in full control of who is allowed to be elected and where.

    • BossDj@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      Unfortunately, the aid would help people and save lives. Then, Texas leaders would accuse Biden of wasting taxpayer money, call it a political stunt and photo op, say “we didn’t need the government’s help, we are Texas!”.

      And then there’s no way to convince Texans that people would have died without their help. Biden would be vilified for helping. And as much as you might think, “he still needed to do it because helping the people is more important than optics”, the long term result is losing votes, losing power, then never being able to help ever again.

      • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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        6 months ago

        the long term result is losing votes, losing power, then never being able to help ever again.

        Okay I wanna contend this point. The people believing this sort of thing were never voting for a democrat anyway.

        • BossDj@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          I think it’s more about the right leaning people who vote less when they see their ring wing nut guy actively working against their interest, and voting more when they’re riled up. An opportunity to vilify Biden is voters to the booths. Getting them angry at the left is their only strategy

  • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    It’s a Good Thing Republicans are KNOWN to do their own Research and will find out that it’s their REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP delaying their Aid and causing their Sons and Daughters to Die! And when they find out they’ll care ENOUGH about their Families to put Politics aside and VOTE OUT the people Lying to them while they Die!

    • Jesus@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Abbott is a huge piece of shit with lots to rip on, but do we have to mock people in wheel chairs?

      • Late2TheParty@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I wonder if this case may be warranted/allowed/deserved(?) as he’s able to be in his position based on the large insurance payout he continues to receive that gave him true financial security. He then denied anyone else that same benefit by helping to pull up that ladder once he was in a position of authority. Since 2003, no insurance company will ever have to pay out such large sums in Texas. And, the $250k they might have to pay will never be adjusted for inflation.

        Since '13, he gets $14k/month and $400k every 3 years. Tax free. And, adjusted for inflation.

        He got his. Screw everyone else, apparently.