Texas Officials Bash Biden’s Politicization of Beryl as ‘Complete Lie’

(UnitedHeadlines.com) – President Joe Biden said his administration could not provide aid to Texas quickly following Hurricane Beryl’s July 8 landfall along the Texas coast, blaming Texas officials.

On July 9, Biden stated that aid could not be quickly provided to Texas because he could not “track down the governor,” adding that he has no authority to send emergency aid to the state “without a specific request from the governor.”

However, Biden’s comments were disputed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is serving as acting governor as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Asia to strengthen economic partnerships with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

On Twitter, Patrick stated that Biden was “turning Hurricane Beryl into a political issue.” He said Biden accused him of not being reachable. However, he had spoken with the president on July 9, when Biden granted his “request for a major disaster declaration,” filed after Patrick determined the needs of impacted areas. In the post, Patrick noted that, despite his comments, Biden’s own Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees had been working “side-by-side” with him for three days, adding that he “took a photo with them.”

On July 10, Patrick accused Biden of attacking Abbott and himself in an attempt by Biden to “score political points.”

Abbott also responded to Biden’s comments in a July 9 post on Twitter, writing, “Biden’s memory fails again.” He stated that while he has spoken with state and local officials and FEMA officials, Biden has not called him, noting, “he has my number.”

Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, called Biden’s statement “a complete lie,” adding that he “knows exactly how to get in contact” with Abbott.

Patrick declared a state of emergency on July 5, three days before the Category 1 hurricane made landfall, authorizing the use of all available resources to aid with the impacts of the hurricane. He followed that with a federal disaster declaration completed through FEMA, which Biden granted.

As of July 10, 1.7 million residents remain without power across the state.