Gov. Greg Abbott is used to tension with the Biden administration — but it’s usually over the border.
Abbott and Biden have been at odds over Biden’s porous border, which has resulted in an average of 2.1 million illegal border crossings annually since 2021. The two have rangled over buoys placed in the Rio Grande, concertina wire, and the use of the Texas National Guard to deal with the issue, among many other solutions.
Add to the growing list a dispute about federal aid related to the tremendous damage caused by Hurricane Beryl this week.
The hurricane made landfall on Monday morning, claiming seven lives, battering Southeast Texas with strong winds and heavy rains, and leaving a trail of destruction, including 1.8 million residents without power, as reported by The Dallas Express. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick temporarily assumed gubernatorial duties while Abbott was on an official business trip and issued a disaster declaration for 121 Texas counties.
Now, when Texas is seeking a federal disaster declaration to obtain emergency assistance with the recovery from the hurricane, Biden is claiming he does not know how to reach Abbott. Here’s the start of the story from KERA News:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says it’s not true that the president couldn’t reach state leaders about distributing emergency relief supplies after Hurricane Beryl, calling Joe Biden’s statements “a complete lie.”
On Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported that Biden said he was trying to “track down” the governor to secure the disaster declaration request needed to release federal aid. Biden told the newspaper he did not connect until Tuesday afternoon with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting governor while Abbott is on an official trip to Asia.
A White House spokesman told the newspaper federal officials attempted to reach Abbott and Patrick multiple times. The president did not provide more details about his attempts to reach them.
“I’ve been trying to track down the governor to see — I don’t have any authority to do that without a specific request from the governor,” Biden said.
Biden, a Democrat, is seeking re-election this year. Abbott and Patrick are both Republicans.
In a statement provided to The Texas Newsroom, Abbott’s spokesman said federal agencies had been working with state officials ahead of the storm and that all necessary disaster declarations were in place well in advance.
“This is a complete lie from President Biden, and frankly doesn’t make any sense,” Andrew Mahaleris said. “The President and his Administration know exactly how to get in contact with the Governor and have on numerous occasions in the past, and even most recently on Friday when FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called and spoke with him while on a trade mission.”