STATEMENT: After Kerr County Floods, State Lawmakers Choose Band-Aids Over Bold Action
AUSTIN, TX – As Texas continues to grapple with the devastating aftermath of the Kerr County floods, Governor Greg Abbott and Republican legislators have once again demonstrated their failure to prioritize the safety and security of Texas families. Rather than addressing the root causes of the state’s vulnerability to disasters, they have chosen the path of political theater and half-measures that leave communities across Texas exposed to future catastrophes.
Republican lawmakers have sent legislation to Abbott’s desk with minimal funding that focuses narrowly on responder training, radio communication, and planning at youth camps – instead of investing in and building the comprehensive infrastructure and support systems that Texans desperately need. The package conspicuously leaves out necessary flood mitigation strategies and preparedness measures for escalating climate disasters. This inadequate response represents a fundamental abdication of leadership at a time when bold action and substantial investment in disaster preparedness could save lives and protect communities.
In response, longtime Texas organizer Val Benavidez released the following statement:
“Governor Greg Abbott and Republican lawmakers are moving forward with an incomplete and inadequate response to disaster preparedness in the wake of the devastating Kerr County floods. Time and again, we’ve seen this administration abandon Texans in their time of need, only to show up later to take credit for the heroic work of local communities and first responders.
“Abbott and his cronies wasted precious weeks focused on Donald Trump’s political redistricting schemes instead of providing the real disaster relief and preparedness plans that Texas families deserve. Instead of meaningful action, lawmakers are sending a woefully inadequate response to Abbott’s desk that makes one thing crystal clear: Texans remain dangerously vulnerable to devastating disasters because Republican legislators refuse to act with the urgency and seriousness this crisis demands.”
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