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Beto O'Rourke Profile picture
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27 May, 13 tweets, 5 min read
1/ We now know that the Texas government’s repeated failure to modernize our energy systems killed over 700 Texans in February’s winter storm.

buzzfeednews.com/article/petera…
2/ Texas officials received SEVERAL warnings over the past DECADE from state utility regulators about the human tragedy that could come if power grid vulnerabilities went unaddressed. These warnings were ignored. houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…
3/ Instead, lawmakers sided with the oil & gas industry lobbyists who’ve spent millions successfully influencing them to shield the energy system from meaningful regulation and whose failures are largely responsible for the blackouts.  statesman.com/story/business…
4/ Just so happens Governor @GregAbbott_TX has received $26 million in political contributions from the oil & gas industry (more than any other economic sector)... 
apnews.com/article/busine…
5/ It’s too late for Texas lawmakers to save the 700 lives we lost. But they did have this entire legislative session (which ends on Monday) to pass reforms that can prevent future grid failures. They didn't go nearly far enough. linkedin.com/pulse/texas-ge…
6/ Legislation on the table falls short of guaranteeing proper weatherization of natural gas wells and pipelines, thanks to more gas industry lobbying
7/ Legislation also makes no real effort to strengthen energy efficiency...even though lack of insulation in people's homes is a big reason why so many Texans died from hypothermia in their own beds during the winter storm
dallasnews.com/opinion/commen…
8/ Reps like @ErinForYall proposed bills that would have better safeguarded vulnerable facilities from power outages, like nursing homes and dialysis centers, where many died in the storm. But she got no support from Republican leaders dallasnews.com/news/politics/…
9/ There’s no excuse for this. Lives are on the line. Texas remains at elevated risk of summer power outages as rising temperatures push our grid to the limit. nbcdfw.com/investigations…
10/ More than 100 Texans have died of overheating in their own homes during summer months over the past decade. These are disproportionately poor Texans, who ration electricity to avoid massive bills due to energy inefficiency in their homes. stories.usatodaynetwork.com/hostagetoheat/…
11/ Some in Texas GOP are calling for a special legislative session to continue picking on trans kids, which they've done all session instead of fixing power grid problems
12/ Here’s what lawmakers should’ve been focusing on:
 
•Ambitious, market-driven energy efficiency programs
•Addressing energy poverty for low-income Texans
•Fully weatherizing state energy sources
•Resilient, onsite energy at critical facilities like hospitals
13/ Finally, it’s time to get serious about climate change. It’s the only way we can fully prepare for, and hopefully prevent, further tragedy from climate disasters texastribune.org/2019/05/10/cli…

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More from @BetoORourke

Beto O'Rourke Profile picture
7 May
Voter suppression bill SB7 passed the Texas House early this morning & will now move to a conference committee with the Senate version.

Grateful to the House Democrats & the grassroots organizers who kept our focus on this bill. They did all they could and made us proud.
Next steps:

1) Call your State Rep and Senator, ask them to vote NO on final version of the bill (find their numbers here: wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home).

Though SB7 has now passed the House & Senate, the competing version have to be conferenced and voted on again in both chambers.
2) Call your U.S. Senator (202-224-3121) & ask them to pass the For The People Act.

This bill would not only stop voter suppression efforts in Texas, but would do so in Georgia, Arizona, Kansas, etc.

This is the most important thing we can do for voting rights in America.
Read 4 tweets
Beto O'Rourke Profile picture
11 Apr
Spent the morning at the Holding Institute in Laredo where they are providing shelter to recently arrived immigrants, as well as Laredo residents experiencing homelessness.

40 people were dropped off at the shelter last night and 20 more are coming in from Zapata county today.
Spoke w/ Edith who traveled with her daughter & husband from El Salvador. They felt like they had no choice but to make the 2,000+ mile journey to the U.S.

“Did you travel by foot, by bus or by train?”

“Yes, all of them.”

Arrived with just the clothes on their backs.
I was so impressed with the staff and volunteers at the shelter, their kindness and professionalism in welcoming and caring for those who have survived this incredibly tough journey.

(You can donate here to help them: paypal.com/donate/?hosted…)
Read 5 tweets
Beto O'Rourke Profile picture
1 Apr
The Texas Senate passed a voter suppression bill early this morning, targeting working Texans, communities of color... and when added to voter suppression bills in Georgia and 41 other states, is part of the single largest coordinated attack on democracy in America since 1965.
Why now?

“After voters of color helped flip key states into Democrats’ column during the presidential election, Republicans have channeled their myth that the election was stolen into legislative pushback in state Capitols across the U.S.”
What can we do?

Help us register and work with the voters who are being targeted by this legislation.

Sign up to become a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR) and join us for upcoming voter registration canvasses across Texas:

events.poweredxpeople.org
Read 5 tweets
Beto O'Rourke Profile picture
26 Mar
You’re in a Border Patrol boat armed with machine guns.

The only threat you face is unarmed children and families who are seeking asylum (as well as the occasional heckler).

If you’re looking for a crisis to cosplay Senator for, I’m happy to point you in the right direction.
The state you “represent” in the Senate is the least insured in the nation.

That means your constituents are dying of diabetes, curable cancers and the flu (as well as 50,000 from Covid in the last year alone) because they can’t afford a doctor or medicine.
110 Texans died in mass shootings in the last 2 years because you’re more concerned about taking care of the NRA than in taking care of the people you are supposed to serve.

Families from El Paso, Sutherland Springs, Santa Fe High, Midland/Odessa know what a real crisis is.
Read 6 tweets
Beto O'Rourke Profile picture
26 Mar
I joined hundreds of Texans who drove in from all over - El Paso, Del Rio, Nacogdoches, McAllen, Dallas, Houston etc - to testify against a voter suppression bill at the capitol today.

But the Republican committee chairman ENDED the meeting before taking ANY testimony!
Among other things, the bill takes authority from local elections administrators, threatens voting rights organizations with punitive felony charges and keeps disabled voters from getting assistance in filling out a ballot.

And it’s all premised on the BIG LIE of election fraud.
You’re more likely to be struck by lighting than to encounter voter fraud in Texas.

And yet THIS is what they’re wasting time on.

50,000 Texans have died of Covid.

100+ died during a power outage in the energy capital of North America.

And we remain the least insured state.
Read 5 tweets
Beto O'Rourke Profile picture
23 Mar
The false premise that immigrants would make the pandemic worse was used by Trump (and now Biden) to immediately expel asylum seekers at the border.

This caused a spike in attempts, as the same people tried multiple times to cross (e.g. one person could count for 10+ encounters)
Apples to apples, the number of unique individuals attempting to come to this country is similar to what we saw during this same period in 2019 (for my Republican friends & media who are absolutely losing their shit right now, this is when Donald Trump was in the White House).
What could we do to make it better?

- Stop using Title 42

- Lawfully process asylum requests

- Free families & children from immigration detention

- Add independent immigration judges

- Re-write our immigration laws

- Prioritize the Americas in our foreign policy.
Read 4 tweets

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