“Yes, this is the current plan with federal assistance – to be able to help homeowners fix it, because we have a lot of water leaks, a lot of damage, plumbing bursting, but also electricity bills,” Texas Rep. Michael McCaul told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked if part of the disaster funds would be used to help residents pay the bills.
“It is unacceptable for Texans who suffered for days in freezing cold without electricity or heat to be hit by skyrocketing energy costs,” Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement on Saturday.
Biden’s statement provides help to individuals in 77 Texas counties, although Abbott has requested a major disaster statement for all 254 counties. The White House said it was working closely with Abbott, and more counties could be included after further damage assessment.
“While this partial approval is an important first step, Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure that all eligible Texans have access to the relief they need,” the governor said in the statement.
“While I’m trying to get gas and groceries to make sure my pipes don’t explode, the last thing I’m thinking about is a $ 7,000 bill from my dealership,” Upshaw told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday.
Meanwhile, local officials in the state are suggesting that Texas should pay the high bills, with the Democratic mayor of Houston and the Republican mayor of Fort Worth urging the state to lift the burden on affected residents.
“For these exorbitant costs, it is not consumers who should bear the costs … the bill should go to the state of Texas,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CBS on Sunday.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price agreed with Turner, saying, “We hope the state will hurry to pay it.” The two said the biggest problem facing their cities now that electricity has been restored is plumbing problems due to broken pipes, limited repair resources and continued lack of access to water.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said bluntly that it would be “hell to pay” if state residents were expected to pay for high electricity costs.
“It would be unfair for the bills to go up and to be put on the backs of state residents who have been suffering and freezing their homes for the past week, without any fault,” Nirenberg told CNN on Sunday. . “It was a total failure of the state’s energy management and they need to be held accountable.”
The mayor added: “There will be hell to pay if there is any notion that residents of this state must pay for this disaster.”
“I know that Mr. Cruz called it a mistake and he confessed it, but I think it was a big mistake,” McCaul told Bash. “As for me, I was on the ground trying to help my people and my constituents and that is what we must do in times of crisis, just as we did during the hurricane season.”
This story was updated with additional details on Sunday.