STATEMENT: Abbott Has Power to Help Texas Flood Victims But Chooses Partisan Politics Instead

Governor Has Authority and Funds to Act Immediately But Chooses Trump’s Redistricting Scheme Over Texans’ Lives

This week, as Texas Democrats continued to hold the line against Donald Trump and Republicans’ redistricting scheme, Texas House Republicans finally faced mounting pressure and were forced to act on flood relief bills they had been ignoring. What Governor Abbott won’t admit is that he’s had the opportunity to help Texans the whole time but chose not to. Every day of delay leaves Texans waiting while available funds sit unused, and Abbott exploits this deadly disaster as political cover for Trump’s gerrymandering demands.

Texas law gives Abbott explicit authority to “use all available resources of state government” during disasters—no special session required. He previously used disaster declarations for political projects like reallocating $250 million for Trump’s border wall, but won’t do the same for flood victims living in mold-damaged homes. Instead, less than a quarter of the special session agenda addresses disasters, with the session dominated by Republican priorities that failed during the regular session, including congressional redistricting and Trump’s partisan agenda.

In response, Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council member Derrick Osobase, CWA District 6 Vice President, released the following statement:

“Governor Abbott has always had the power to help Texans recover—he just refuses. While families are still displaced, sick from mold, and drinking contaminated water, he’s playing a political game, ramming through a gerrymandered map to help President Trump rig the midterms. Exploiting a deadly disaster for political gain is cynical, callous, and immoral.

“Abbott has the authority right now to release state funding for emergency infrastructure that could save lives, but instead is using flood survivors as political cover to gerrymander Texas and give Republicans five additional House seats. He’s weaponizing disaster relief to reward his political allies while abandoning Texans when they need help most. This is a stunning betrayal of the people he was elected to serve.”

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