In Contrast to 'Useless Republican Leaders,' AOC Helps Raise $2 Million in
Direct Relief for Texans in Crisis
"AOC helped raise $1 million for Texas relief as Ted Cruz made his way back
home from Cancún."
byJake Johnson, staff writer
Shoppers walk past a bare shelf as people stock up on necessities at the
H-E-B grocery store on February 18, 2021 in Austin, Texas.
Shoppers walk past a bare shelf as people stock up on necessities at the
H-E-B grocery store on February 18, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Joe
Raedle/Getty Images)
Update:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Friday morning that her team has
now helped raise $2 million in relief funds for Texans.
Earlier:
As Sen. Ted Cruz rushed back to Texas on Thursday after coming under fire
for fleeing to Cancún while his constituents faced devastating power
outages, water disruptions, and food shortages, an out-of-state Democratic
lawmaker teamed up with a coalition of local organizations to raise money to
provide direct relief for people in desperate need.
Announced on Twitter early Thursday evening by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(D-N.Y.), the grassroots fundraising campaign brought in more than $1
million in a matter of hoursall of which, according to the New York
Democrat, will go to The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, Ending Community
Homeless Coalition (ECHO), Family Eldercare, Houston Food Bank, Feeding
Texas, and other local groups assisting Texans during the ongoing emergency.
"Wow. We officially raised $1 million for Texas relief at 9:17 pm,"
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday night. "Thank you all so much. I'm at a loss
for words. Always in awe of movement work. 100% of this relief is going
straight to Texan food assistance, homelessness relief, elder care, and
more."
Ocasio-Cortez's use of her massive social media platform to raise relief
funds was quickly contrasted with the actions of the state's Republican
leadership, which critics say has been missing in action throughout the
emergencywith Cruz's vacation trip to Mexico in the middle of the crisis
serving as an illustrative example.
"Cruz is emblematic of what the Texas Republican Party and its leaders have
become: weak, corrupt, inept, and self-serving politicians who don't give a
damn about the people they were elected to represent," Gilberto Hinojosa,
chair of the Texas Democratic Party, said in a statement Thursday. "They
were elected by the people but have no interest or intent of doing their
jobs."
The New York Democrat's relief push came as hundreds of thousands of Texans
remained without power in the wake of Winter Storm Uri, which exposed the
state government's total failure to prepare the Texas electric grid for
extreme weather. As the Washington Post's Will Englund put it earlier this
week, "In the name of deregulation and free markets... Texas has created an
electric grid that puts an emphasis on cheap prices over reliable service."
The consequences of such an approach were almost immediately felt by
millions of Texans as sweeping blackouts followed the historic storm's
arrival, which sent vulnerable families scrambling to stay warm and preserve
their food and other essential supplies. The tens of thousands of Texans
without homes were often left stranded in the freezing weather.
"For Texans who are already familiar with navigating disasters on their own
with little help from the government, how local and city officials have
responded to the storm so far is merely the latest chapter in a long pattern
of neglect," Buzzfeed reported Thursday.
Tim Boyd, the then-mayor of Colorado City, Texas, wrote on Facebook earlier
this week that "the City and County, along with power providers or any other
service owes you NOTHING!" Boyd later resigned amid backlash over his
inhumane comments.
As some residents of his state resorted to burning their possessions for
heat, Republican Gov. Greg Abbotta major beneficiary of fossil fuel
industry donationsappeared on Fox News late Tuesday and erroneously blamed
wind and solar for the widespread outages.
While power was finally restored for nearly two million households on
Thursday, an estimated 325,000 homes remained without electricity.
Compounding the ongoing power crisis are food and water shortages brought on
by the winter storm's disruption of supply chains and frigid temperatures,
which caused pipes to freeze and burst. Houston, the fourth largest U.S.
city, will likely remain under a boil water advisory through the weekend as
officials warned of possible contamination.
As The Texas Tribune reported Thursday, the power, food, and water
criseswhich come on top of the deadly coronavirus pandemichave hit the
state's hospitals particularly hard.
"Hospitals canceled elective surgeries, waited days on delayed medication
shipments, and are having to seek oxygen tanks from outside sources to meet
a critical oxygen supply issue," the Tribune reported. "While some issues
like deliveries, water pressure, and power problems are starting to ease up
for some, most in the affected areas are still experiencing challenges."