by During a press conference on Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott was asked if he would request an investigation into any shortcomings related to the fatal floods, such as a lack of funding for flood control and warning systems at the state and local levels.
Mr. Abbott responded by claiming that inquiring about culpability was the word of losers. He then used football, a beloved Texas pastime, to sidestep questions about responsibility for a tragedy that has left at least 111 people dead and over 170 missing.
Referring to the Friday night lights of high school fields and the state’s college and professional teams, Mr. Abbott stated, “Every square inch of our state cares about football.” He went on to say that every football team commits errors.
The governor continued the comparison by stating that championship teams responded to errors by proclaiming, “We got this,” whereas losing teams placed blame. We’re going to make sure we win this game and score another goal.
Republican Mr. Abbott said that when state lawmakers convene for a special session later this month, the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature will be looking into the Central Texas flash floods and talking about how to keep them from happening again.
However, he and other well-known Republicans have resisted calls from opponents to look into issues like the absence of emergency warning systems along the Guadalupe River or empty staff jobs at National Weather Service facilities in Texas.
Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican who represents the affected area, noted on Monday that pointing fingers is often distasteful when dealing with the search for remains and mourning families. In a similar vein, Senator Ted Cruz chastised anyone who attempted to hold their political rivals accountable for a natural disaster.
During the 2024 campaign, President Trump criticized the Biden administration for its handling of Hurricane Helene and the Democrats in California for their handling of the wildfires in Los Angeles. He has solely provided support to the Texas leadership. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, also chastised critics for questioning the administration’s attempts to reduce the size of federal disaster organizations.
