Texas governor says Biden comments about Hurricane Beryl aid are a ‘complete lie’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says it’s not true that the president couldn’t reach state leaders about distributing emergency relief supplies after Hurricane Beryl, calling Joe Biden’s statements “a complete lie.”

On Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported that Biden said he was trying to “track down” the governor to secure the disaster declaration request needed to release federal aid. Biden told the newspaper he did not connect until Tuesday afternoon with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting governor while Abbott is on an official trip to Asia.

A White House spokesman told the newspaper federal officials attempted to reach Abbott and Patrick multiple times. The president did not provide more details about his attempts to reach them.

“I’ve been trying to track down the governor to see — I don’t have any authority to do that without a specific request from the governor,” Biden said.

Biden, a Democrat, is seeking re-election this year. Abbott and Patrick are both Republicans.

In a statement provided to The Texas Newsroom, Abbott’s spokesman said federal agencies had been working with state officials ahead of the storm and that all necessary disaster declarations were in place well in advance.

“This is a complete lie from President Biden, and frankly doesn’t make any sense,” Andrew Mahaleris said. “The President and his Administration know exactly how to get in contact with the Governor and have on numerous occasions in the past, and even most recently on Friday when FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called and spoke with him while on a trade mission.”

By July 6, Patrick had issued state disaster declarations for 121 counties. Beryl made landfall near Matagorda as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday morning.

Abbott said Patrick spoke with Biden on Tuesday and requested a federal disaster declaration.

“The President granted the state’s request,” Abbott said in a press release Tuesday evening. “The State of Texas may make additional requests as damage assessments are completed.”

Patrick said the president was turning Beryl into “a political issue” and, borrowing one of Biden’s favorite quips, called his complaints “a load of malarkey.”

“[Biden] is falsely accusing me that I was not reachable,” Patrick posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He obviously did not know his own employees from FEMA were side-by-side with me for 3 days! All he had to do was call them and have them hand their phone to me. I even took a photo with them!”

At a press conference, Patrick said there was “no delay” and “total teamwork” between federal and state officials, according to the Chronicle.

Nim Kidd, who heads the state’s emergency management agency, said the federal aid would help cover debris removal and emergency protective measures, including generators.

The hurricane brought winds over 80 mph and heavy rains. Seven people in the Houston region died due to the storm, including two killed after trees fell on their homes.

In his Tuesday evening statement, Abbott said the safety of Texans remained their No. 1 priority.

“Our hearts grieve for all Texans impacted by Hurricane Beryl, including our fellow Texans who tragically lost their lives or were injured,” Abbott said.