In case you missed it: Sen. Cruz tours Houston Emergency Operations Center, pledges federal support at Hurricane Beryl press conference

Houston, Texas – In case you missed it: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joined Houston local and regional officials at the City of Houston Emergency Operations Center yesterday, received a briefing from emergency management staff, and participated in a press conference with Houston Mayor John Whitmire (D-Houston) and other local officials.

At the press conference, Senator Cruz said: “I want to start by commending the mayor for the tremendous job he’s doing and the tremendous work of his entire team, from the Houston Police Department to the Houston Fire Department to the Solid Waste Department and everyone involved in emergency management. I spent the afternoon at the Emergency Management Center with that team, and they’re a professional team that’s focused, first and foremost, on saving lives, on responding to Houstonians in danger.

“We have just been through a very severe storm. Unfortunately, it has taken the lives of three Houstonians. For those three people, we grieve for them and we pray for their families. We pray and grieve, in particular, for the family of the HPD civilian employee who lost his life today. Volunteering to serve his community was the last thing he could do.

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“As the Mayor said, in order for a federal emergency declaration to be issued, the Governor submits a request for a declaration to the President of the United States. At this point, John Cornyn and I, along with Al Green and the rest of our federal colleagues, will support that federal declaration, and I am confident that the President will issue a federal emergency declaration promptly, as soon as the request is submitted by the Governor. We will then work hand in hand, as we have done repeatedly for years, with city officials, county officials, and state officials, to ensure that federal resources are made available to help rebuild.

“The rebuilding is going to be significant. There’s been some real damage, but the good news for Houston is this isn’t our first rodeo. If you live on the Gulf Coast, part of life on the Gulf Coast is hurricanes. I’ve lived in Houston my whole life, and this team is unfortunately very good at that, because we know there’s going to be another hurricane, and we’ll get through it. We’re going to rebuild, because we’re strong in Houston.”

Watch video of Senator Cruz’s full speech here.

Senator Cruz has continually fought to provide relief to Texans affected by natural disasters.

• Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Senator Cruz visited with victims, volunteers, first responders, and local officials in every area impacted by the storm and authored federal legislation that provided critical and immediate tax relief to storm survivors along the Gulf Coast.
• Time After time When disaster strikes TexasSenator Cruz makes sure that Lone Star State to the resources to recover and is on the ground helping with recovery efforts.
• In 2023, Senator Cruz toured Perryton, after a tornado devastated the town, met with local authorities and helped with cleanup.
• In 2022, Senator Cruz secured the inclusion of the Texas Coastal Resiliency Improvement Plan in a water resources infrastructure bill that would better protect residents along the Texas coast from major storms.
• In 2020, when 1.4 million Texans lost their jobs due to the COVID pandemic, Senator Cruz fought for a real economic recovery by introducing comprehensive legislation to restart the economy, get Americans back to work, and get our kids back in school.
• In 2020, Senator Cruz urged The Trump administration will expedite its review of tornado damage in Dallas and support Gov. Abbott’s disaster declaration.
• In 2019, after Tropical Storm Imelda, Senator Cruz urged President Trump will issue a federal disaster declaration in response to storm-related flooding in southeast Texas.
• In 2018, Senator Cruz toured Highland Lakes has offered support after floods devastated the area.

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