Texas Congressman Says Emergency Relief Will Help Texans Pay High Energy Bills Charged After Freezing

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“Yes, that’s the current plan with federal aid – to be able to help the homeowners fix it because we’ve got a lot of water leaks, a lot of water damage, blown pipes, but also their electric bill,” Texas Rep. Michael McCaul told CNN’s Dana Bash about “State of the Union” when asked if some of the disaster funds would be used to help residents pay the bills.

Residents of the state have reported unusually high utility bills following the freeze, something state officials have said they are conducting an investigation, with Governor Greg Abbott calling an emergency meeting to investigate the situation.

“It is unacceptable that Texans who suffered freezing days without electricity or heat are now hit by skyrocketing energy costs,” Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement on Saturday.

President Joe Biden approved a major Texas disaster statement last week, freeing up more federal resources to help the state struggling to recover from deadly winter storms. The statement states that “assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repair, cheap loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and entrepreneurs recover from the effects of the disaster.”

Biden’s statement makes aid available to individuals in 77 Texas counties, even though Abbott had requested a major disaster statement for all 254 counties. The White House said it is working closely with Abbott, and more counties could be included after further assessment of the damage.

“While this partial approval is an important first step, Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure that all eligible Texans have access to the assistance they need,” the governor said in the statement.

One of the victims with high utility bills is Dallas resident DeAndre Upshaw, who said he received a “very shocking” $ 7,000 bill from his utility company.
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“While trying to get gas and groceries and make sure my pipes don’t explode, the last thing on my mind is paying a $ 7,000 bill from my utility company,” Upshaw told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday.

Local officials in the state, meanwhile, suggest that Texas should pay for the high bills, with the Democratic Mayor of Houston and the Republican Mayor of Fort Worth urging the state to take the burden off the affected residents.

“For these exorbitant charges, it is not consumers who should assume that the charge … the bill must go to the state of Texas,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CBS on Sunday.

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price echoed Turner, saying, “We expect the state to act to pay for it.” The two said the biggest problem their cities are facing now that electricity has been restored is plumbing problems due to broken pipes, limited repair options and ongoing lack of access to water.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg bluntly said there would be “hell to pay” if state residents were expected to pay the bill for increased electricity costs.

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“It would be unreasonable for bills to go up and bills on the backs of state residents who have suffered and frozen their homes for the past week through no fault of their own,” Nirenberg told CNN on Sunday. . “This was a total failure by the state’s energy management, and they should be held accountable.”

The mayor added, “There will be hell to pay if there is an idea that the residents of this state have to pay for this disaster.”

On Sunday, McCaul also criticized Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who faces fierce opposition for flying to Cancun, Mexico, while the state suffered from the freezer, a decision that Cruz later said he regretted.

“I know Mr. Cruz called it a mistake and he admitted it, but I think it was a big mistake,” McCaul told Bash. “As for me, I was there to help my people and my constituents and that’s what we should be doing in times of crisis, just like we did during hurricane season.”

This story was updated with additional details on Sunday.

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