Sen. Cruz: ‘The Responsiveness of the Administration Throughout This Hurricane Has Been Extraordinary’
ORANGE, Texas -U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today joined President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) in Orange, Texas for a roundtable discussion with various local, state, and federal officials to discuss the federal response in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura's Thursday morning landfall. The full video of today's roundtable can be viewed here and below.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Joins President Trump and Gov. Abbott at a Roundtable on Hurricane Laura in Orange, Texas
Regarding the response from the Trump administration to Hurricane Laura's landfall, Sen. Cruz said:
"The consistent report I've gotten from the governor, I've gotten from local officials and state officials is the responsiveness of the administration throughout this hurricane has been extraordinary. In many ways, we had a blessing with this hurricane in that it could have been much, much worse. There was significant damage from this hurricane but compared to what we've seen in the past, Texas could have gotten hit much worse. We obviously grieve that our neighbors in Louisiana took the brunt of this storm. Just as Louisiana stepped up and helped Texas, particularly with Hurricane Harvey, but other hurricanes as well, we're now stepping up to help our neighbors in Louisiana who are really suffering."
He continued:
"But one of the things that's really impressive also is just the level of coordination. [...] What we see consistently is a degree of interaction -between the city officials, the county officials, the state officials, the federal officials - where you don't get bickering, you don't get turf jockeying. You just get everyone working together and as these disasters have come you have reached out repeatedly."
Sen. Cruz concluded:
"I still remember talking with you when Hurricane Harvey was in the Gulf, and I was in the Lucchese factory in El Paso. And you said then -and that was the case then and the case now - you said everything Texas needs, the federal government [and] the resources will be there. And thank you for that leadership. It's important and it's a testament here to the strength and expertise of the Texans at this table working with the federal government that we minimize the damages as much as possible with a very dangerous storm."
Following Hurricane Laura's landfall last week, Sen. Cruz spoke about Texas' history of stepping up to help its neighbors in times of crisis. Sen. Cruz said:
"Every time we face a disaster or even a disaster somewhat averted, I'm inspired to see how Texans step up and help each other. How Texans help their neighbors. Help them out of harm's way. Help clean up the mess, and help them get back on their feet. It's exactly the Texas spirit that even though there are folks hurting here, that one of the first thoughts is we're going to help our neighbors in Louisiana. I think that's who we are as a state, and that's who we are as a nation."
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Provides Update on Hurricane Laura After Surveying Damage in Orange, Texas
Still photos of Sen. Cruz's aerial tour from Thursday may be viewed here. Sen. Cruz's full remarks from Thursday's press conference regarding Hurricane Laura may be viewed here.
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