Cornyn, Perry Blast Feds Over Wildfires; FEMA Responds

by Christopher Smith Gonzalez
May 4, 2011
17 Comments

Texas politicians are continuing to blast the federal government's decision not to give Texas a disaster declaration for the wildfires, which would have boosted the amount of federal money flowing to the state to deal with the crisis.

In a conference call with reporters today, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said he had no idea why the state's request got denied.

“Texas is not a place that has received, to my view, equal and fair handed treatment with other places around the country," Cornyn said. "There seems to be a lot of politics in the calculations."

Gov. Rick ...

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Comments (17)

May 4, 2011 @ 4:45 p.m.

scubawithdogs

I thought Perry, Dewhurst, Cornyn, Hutchinson wanted the federal government to leave Texas alone.
May 4, 2011 @ 5:48 p.m.

Susan Necessary

So let me get this straight. We down here in the Republic of Texas don't need no stinkin' federal gubmint … except when we want the federal gubmint's money. These people have no shame.
May 4, 2011 @ 6:37 p.m.

Danny Jensen via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Did we really have fires in 252 counties.
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May 4, 2011 @ 6:38 p.m.

Debra Wiecek via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Yes, unfortunately. And yes, we are already receiving aid.
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May 4, 2011 @ 6:43 p.m.

Ruthie Kelly

Waaaaaaaaaah. So much whining. California has been devastated by wildfires more than once in the past 10 years. At one point we had almost 1/3 of the state on fire or recovering from a fire. Get over it.
May 4, 2011 @ 7 p.m.

George Schwarz via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Coryn and Perry are just trying to fire up (pun intended) their base. I have heard Texas has already received money.

The way these two yahoos have been bashing Obama, what do they expect -- for the feds to bust their asses? C'mon. When the Texas Panhandle went GOP in the 1964 election, LBJ shut down the airbase here and hurt the area badly. That's how they play it in Texas.

Now, Cornyn and Perry want something different.

#ludicrous.
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May 4, 2011 @ 7:30 p.m.

David ??? Matocha via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Uh, er, Senator Cornyn IS the Federal Government. ;-)
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May 4, 2011 @ 7:37 p.m.

Ed Covington via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Cornyn, you ignorant jack@ss, the feds have already provided 20+ grants to help pay for the firefighting, not counting the planes and crews they sent to help fight the fires, and what you're getting, Big Red, is the payoff for having a moron for a governor...shut up and take it...
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May 4, 2011 @ 7:52 p.m.

Jim Fisher via Texas Tribune on Facebook

the volunteer fire department, in the small town where I live, has received a Federal Grant to purchase a $200,000 tanker-truck. Our matching share is $25,000...that leaves $175,000 that the Federal Government will pay just to benefit a town of 800 people...multiply that by many similar grants, and the bottom line is: SHUT UP all you whiners, like rick perry, john cornyn, and (locally) randy nookybuyer.
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May 4, 2011 @ 8:05 p.m.

Ed Covington via Texas Tribune on Facebook

LOL...good ole Randy Naugabooger...LOL
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May 4, 2011 @ 8:08 p.m.

Will Harp via Texas Tribune on Facebook

first they dont want fed money all 830mill...now they want money...cant make up their minds or pass the blame...sounds familiar....
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May 4, 2011 @ 8:23 p.m.

Bill Carson

Those pastures will grow back greener than ever. Perry is such a hypocrite.
May 4, 2011 @ 8:42 p.m.

Dave Cortez via Texas Tribune on Facebook

I gotta say, all yall are great. Speak that truth to power!
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May 4, 2011 @ 8:52 p.m.

David Maserang via Texas Tribune on Facebook

So Rick wants money, until the Morning News shows up, then Rick doesn't want money. Daylight is the best antiseptic.
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May 4, 2011 @ 9:58 p.m.

jpt51

What goes around, comes around. You can't have it both ways Rick/John! Besides, the stats show Texas has been awarded disaster assistance more than any other state. Maybe some of that Rainy-Day money can now go to covering the cost of the fire, or was that not enough of a natural disaster for you?

http://www.americaforpurchase.com/american-injustice/texas-received-more-federal-relief-than-any-state/
May 5, 2011 @ 11:50 a.m.

Kim Feil

Sue the EPA and that's what you get Perry!
May 5, 2011 @ 11:57 a.m.

Kim Feil

Funny (not) how ground zero teams during the fire were relying on satellite imagry to locate the hot spots and when they saw eons and eons of "hot spots" in manmade formations, then they figured out those were the oil and gas wells/tanks VENTING and those thankfully didn't need putting out. But they "do" need putting out cause those tanks are spewing methane and other VOC's into our ever warming atmosphere, causing extreme weather patterns and killing us with (urban) drilling ground level smog. At the very least, lets use the tax money that drillers SHOULD BE PAYING and make them put vapor recovery systems on all those tanks! Rural and urban drillers need to retro fit all their equipment with emission control devices even if TCEQ oesn't require it. Maybe then the feds will respect their wishes. For now they (Perry and the oil & gassers) are renegade crying babies booping in our airshed!