Texas Democratic MPs Sylvia Garcia and Sheila Jackson Lee, as well as New York MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, spoke at a news conference outside the Houston Food Bank, where they said they plan to help Texans affected by the winter storm.
Ocasio-Cortez raised money before the visit and said that 100% of the funds will go to five to 10 organizations to help Texans affected by the winter storm.
“You know, when disaster strikes, this is not just a problem for Texans, it is a problem for our entire country,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “As mentioned before, disasters don’t hit everyone equally when you already have so many families in the state and across the country that are on the brink, that they can’t even afford an emergency to start.”
“You know, we really need to make sure that we are getting food and assistance for people across the state, as mentioned here, at Houston Food Bank, with no questions asked,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
“This is the spirit of New York, this is the spirit of Texas and this is the American spirit,” she added.
Garcia said he was happy that Ocasio-Cortez was there to help the Texans. She also said she believed that state leaders should have responded better and that there should be an independent investigation by the network.
“(Disasters) hurt vulnerable populations even more,” said Garcia, who spoke first, during the press conference. “My district was totally in the dark. And I know that people are still suffering today … we have repairs to do.”
“And now help is here with my good friend Rep. Ocasio-Cortez texted me and said, well, I want to do something, so I immediately said, ‘Everything you do includes the Houston Food Bank,'” he said. Is it over there. “You know, we’re from Texas right? Who does things with New York? We always kind of make fun of New York. But this time we love New York.”
Garcia also asked for responsibility for investigating how the Texans were so affected by the disaster.
“We are not here to do anything other than talk to people,” added Garcia. “The answer could be better from our state leadership. It could have been better in the preparation, and better, step up and it would be better to do a complete independent investigation into the reason for the incident, why they did not resist, why they did not prepare, what are do and make sure they do it in a transparent, fair and equitable way. ”
She added: “There will be a need for reforms with ERCOT and I urge the legislature to do that. And then it should include the analysis of whether or not to join the federal network. I think everything should be on the table, Texas didn’t want to go through this again. . They want responsibility. “
ERCOT, as it is commonly known, is the electrical grid of the state of Texas: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
Jackson Lee said she was worried about her voters when calls came in from people, including children, who feared they would die overnight because of freezing temperatures.
“It leaves me in an indescribable and emotional moment,” she said.
WATCH Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments: