Did Ted Cruz Just Become A Hypocrite On Federal Aid?

by Charles Barr

Texas Senator and Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz demanded action from the federal government to aid those who were affected by the floods in Texas.

This is a stark contrast to the Senator’s previous position, where he criticized the role of the federal government to provide relief and the use of the federal government’s money. Cruz took this position in 2013, when he voted against Hurricane Sandy relief funding.

He argued, “Two-thirds of this spending is not remotely “emergency”; the Congressional Budget Office estimates that only 30% of the authorized funds would be spent in the next 20 months, and over a billion dollars will be spent as late as 2021. This bill is symptomatic of a larger problem in Washington – an addiction to spending money we do not have. The United States Senate should not be in the business of exploiting victims of natural disasters to fund pork projects that further expand our debt.”

Interestly, Politifact proved Senator Cruz’s claim false after writing about how “A big portion of the $17 billion in “immediate” assistance, more than $5 billion, went to replenish FEMA’s disaster relief fund, which may fund relief from future disasters.”

This past week, the Senator claimed that,  “The federal government’s role, once the Governor declares a disaster area and makes a request, I am confident that the Texas congressional delegation, Sen. Cornyn and I, and the members of Congress both Republicans and Democrats will stand united as Texans in support of the federal government fulfilling its statutory obligations, and stepping in to respond to this natural disaster.”

Rick Tyler, a spokesperson for the Presidential candidate, said Cruz supports “disaster relief funding that is targeted and timely so the local communities can recover as quickly as possible,” further highlighting the Senator’s aboutface when it comes to Federal disaster relief.

About the author: An aspiring filmmaker with a passion for liberty-minded politics, Charles Barr resides in Monmouth County, New Jersey and attends Montclair State University with the intention of graduating in 2017 with a double major in communication and political science and a minor in public administration. Charles has volunteered for various campaigns including: Ron Paul for President 2012, Stephanie Ziemba for State Assembly, Steve Lonegan for US Senate, Ken Kaplan for Governor, Brian Goldberg for US Senate, and Dorit Goikhman for US Congress. In addition to politics, Charles was the assistant director for the feature length film, My Brother’s Girlfriend that premiered in early 2015 and has helped with the production of various shorts. Currently, Charles serves as the Associate Director for the Empowerment PAC, and the Assistant Chair of Herrera PAC.