President Joseph Biden immediately provided emergency assistance to Texas after the recent winter storm damages and ensuing power failure of Texas’ electrical grid.
What was Texas’ Republican Governor, Greg Abbott’s response to this almost instantaneous provision of emergency relief? Was he grateful? Was he supportive?
No. He decided to be a jackass.
As reported by USA Today:
President Joe Biden signed a major disaster declaration for Texas, the White House announced Saturday, after a winter storm left much of the state facing power and water shortages, in a move Gov. Greg Abbott characterized as only a "partial" approval of his request for federal assistance.
Abbot requested the disaster declaration Thursday, seeking individual and public assistance for all 254 counties in Texas. Though Biden approved public assistance for all those counties, his declaration provides individual assistance for 77 of them, according to a press release from Abbot’s office.
(emphasis supplied)
Just so it’s clear, this sterling representative of a Republican “personal responsibility” ethic was whining because a Democratic administration actually took the time to conduct a county-by-county analysis of need on the part of Texans in order to distribute much-needed emergency funds.
"I thank President Biden for his assistance as we respond to impacts of winter weather across our state. While this partial approval is an important first step, Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure all eligible Texans have access to the relief they need," Abbott said in the release. "The funds provided under the Major Disaster Declaration may provide crucial assistance to Texans as they begin to repair their homes and address property damage."
Note that it wasn’t the colossal failure of the state’s power grid. It was “the impacts of winter weather.” But thanks for the “partial approval.” We’ll be looking for more from our “federal partners,” which “may provide” crucial assistance to Texans.
So hey, thanks, that “may provide” some help to us. ‘Course, we could have done it all on our own if we had to. Uh-huh.
FEMA’s website explains the distinction between the relief provided as “individual assistance” from “public assistance” funding:
Individual Assistance is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) directly to eligible individuals and families who have sustained losses due to disasters.
- Homeowners and renters in designated counties who sustained damage to their primary homes, vehicles and personal property as a result of the recent storms may apply for disaster assistance.
- Disaster assistance may include grants to help pay for temporary housing to include rental and lodging expense, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster, along with other serious disaster-related expenses.
- Disaster assistance grants are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, medical waiver programs, welfare assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance.
- Low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) may be available for businesses of all sizes (including landlords), private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters. Low-interest disaster loans help fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property. Economic Injury disaster loans are available to businesses and private nonprofits to assist with working capital needs as a direct result of the disaster.
Public Assistance can reimburse for emergency protective measures, debris removal, and infrastructure repairs or replacement needed due to disaster-related damage.
- FEMA will provide reimbursement of at least 75 percent of eligible costs, with the state and local governments sharing the remaining 25 percent of costs. Eligible entities include state governments, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations, such as schools and public utility districts.
- Although funds are awarded to government entities and certain private nonprofits, the Public Assistance program is intended to benefit everyone — neighborhoods, cities, counties and states. Public Assistance dollars help clean up communities affected by disaster- related debris, repair roads and bridges and put utilities and water systems back in order.
But Abbott, whose administration was ultimately responsible for this failure, saw fit to criticize the federal government for multi-tiering its response.
Mr. Abbott, maybe if you and your Republican cronies in the state legislature had bothered to do your jobs in the first place, there’d be no need for you to to come crawling to the federal government to bail you out.
And you still have the gall to whine about the level of assistance you’re getting?