Fresh from his recent threat to shoot Maine Sen. Susan Collins over her refusal to support #WealthCare, Texas Congressman and pajama party enthusiast Blake Farenthold is leading the Administration's Texas Empathy Tour Do-over.
Congressman Farenthold- as usual- is at the far right.
From The Dallas Morning News:
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Vice President Mike Pence has landed in Texas to survey Hurricane Harvey's destruction and meet with storm survivors.
Immediately after landing in Corpus Christi, he headed to nearby Rockport to survey damage. A crowd gathered hours ahead of time at a Rockport church in anticipation of his arrival there. Gov. Greg Abbott was waiting at the tarmac and will join him for the day, along with the local congressman, Rep. Blake Farenthold.
The visit comes two days after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania traveled to Corpus Christi. The Trumps also flew to Austin, where they and cabinet members met with federal, state and local officials -- but no displaced Texans.
Pence, notably, does plan to meet with people affected by the storm.
Second lady Karen Pence and her husband wore jeans for the trip. Mrs. Pence wore loafers, a contrast to the stylish stilettos the first lady wore as she boarded Air Force One on Tuesday, but traded for walking shoes before arrival in Texas.
Several Cabinet members, including Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the former Texas governor, are traveling with the Pences, along with Anita Perry, the state's former first lady.
The White House said the president didn’t want to serve as a distraction to emergency responders still grappling with massive flooding in the Houston area, but he was nevertheless criticized by some for appearing aloof and unwilling to embrace the downtrodden.
The president has praised emergency workers and pledged to get Texas back on its feet. He will have another opportunity to meet with victims on Saturday when he returns to the state.
Perry defended the president's decision.
"The president went to the right place at the right time," he said.
..."The president actually asked me and my wife to travel to Texas tomorrow with the same heartfelt message," he continued. "To Texas and Louisiana we say: We are with you today, we are with you tomorrow, and we will be with you every single day to restore, recover, and rebuild."
Pence, like Trump and many lawmakers, has promised a robust federal response to the storm and massive flooding that some estimate could cost as much as $160 billion to repair.
“We're going to continue to provide all of the resources necessary to advance the efforts to rescue people that are enduring this storm. And also we’ll be with you through the long, long recovery that awaits Texas,” Pence told San Antonio's WOAI-AM 1200 earlier this week.
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