[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 38 (Monday, March 1, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S917-S918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Texas

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, last Friday, I joined Governor Abbott, 
fellow Members of the Texas congressional delegation, and several State 
and local leaders and joined President Biden on his first trip to Texas 
since taking office on January 20. We only wish it could have come 
under better circumstances.
  Texans, of course, are still reeling from the deadly winter freeze 
that crippled our critical infrastructure and left millions without 
power and water. Thousands of Texans are still without clean water and 
under a boil instruction, and countless others are dealing with the 
damage caused by burst pipes.
  I truly appreciate the President and the First Lady coming to Houston 
to learn more about the ongoing response and recovery efforts, and I 
thank the President for answering the request of Senator Cruz, Governor 
Abbott, and myself to order a national disaster declaration.
  During times of crisis, Texans are always eager to lend a hand to 
their neighbors, and the last couple of weeks have proved to be no 
exception. I am always encouraged by those heartwarming stories of 
folks helping others in ways big and small: welcoming people into their 
homes, checking on their elderly neighbors, delivering hot meals to 
those in need, and much more.
  So I am glad the President and First Lady were able to see the 
incredible work also of one of the Houston area's most reliable 
friends, and that is the Houston Food Bank. For more than 40 years, the 
Houston Food Bank has fought hunger in the Houston region through a 
variety of programs serving Texans of all ages. When COVID-19 hit last 
year, the need for that assistance skyrocketed, as you might imagine.
  I was able to visit the food bank last summer to learn more about how 
they have adjusted their operations to keep up with the demand, while 
implementing precautions to keep their volunteers safe and healthy. So 
I was glad to join the President and First Lady to learn more about the 
incredible ways that the Houston Food Bank has continued to serve the 
community in the wake of this winter storm.
  As I have said before and, as the President reiterated on Friday in 
Houston, there is no red team, there is no blue team during a time of 
crisis.
  FEMA officials have said that disaster response efforts work best 
when they are locally executed, State managed, and federally supported, 
and I agree that is the appropriate formula. This structure gives local 
officials the ability to cater response efforts to their specific 
communities while tapping into the range of resources available from 
the State and Federal Government.
  I want to assure my fellow Texans that I and the entire Texas 
delegation here in Congress will continue to do everything we can to be 
responsive to the needs that they have. Part of that, though, is 
through rapid mobilization of resources. After Governor Abbott, as I 
said, made the formal request for an emergency disaster declaration, 
Senator Cruz and I sent a letter to President Biden urging him to grant 
that request. And, as I said, he did so without delay.
  So this formal disaster declaration has allowed our State to receive 
a range of resources to respond to the crisis, including blankets, 
bottled water, generators, and additional fuel. These resources were 
vital to sustaining hospital operations and supporting the most 
vulnerable Texans while power and water were being restored.
  Senator Cruz and I also wrote to the President urging him to grant 
the Governor's request for a major disaster declaration and all types 
of public and individual assistance for each of Texas's 254 counties. A 
major disaster declaration opens up even more Federal resources to help 
communities and individuals recover in the aftermath of an emergency 
like this. It can include everything from housing assistance for folks 
who are unable to stay in their home due to water leakage and burst 
pipes to unemployment assistance to crisis counseling.
  So far, President Biden has approved the major disaster declaration 
for 126 counties, and I know State and local leaders are working with 
the administration to seek approval for the remaining counties.
  Insurance industry leaders believe this could be the costliest 
weather event in our State's history, and we have to do everything we 
can to lessen the burden on Texas families.
  Of course, my staff and I are in close contact with State and local 
leaders who are managing and executing the response, and we are 
constantly looking for ways to assist and move the recovery along.
  In the aftermath of these widespread outages, of course, two 
questions jump out at you: One is, What happened? And, two, how do we 
prevent it from ever happening again?
  We know now, at least so far, that there wasn't a single point of 
failure. But where it has to do with the power, this was the result of 
failures in equipment across the State that weren't properly 
winterized. Natural gas lines, wind turbines, and other power equipment 
froze, cutting off a huge percentage of our power generation capacity. 
The remaining generators were overloaded by the sky-high demand of 
these subzero temperatures, and much of Texas went through rolling 
blackouts and more.
  This storm claimed the lives of nearly 80 Texans. It left millions 
without power and water for several days. It destroyed homes and 
businesses and created a sense of fear across the State.
  We need to do what we can now to ensure that Texas's critical 
infrastructure will be able to withstand anything Mother Nature sends 
our way. It is not just about Texas. It is really about the critical 
infrastructure throughout the United States.
  I am working on a measure to build grid resiliency, so we can 
maintain reliable power throughout any type of extreme weather. Whether 
it is a polar vortex or a heat wave or a hurricane or tornado, our 
grids and energy sources across the country must be able to operate 
without disruption. This should be a bipartisan priority for folks from 
every corner of the United States.
  In Texas, we are accustomed to our infrastructure being able to 
withstand the high temperatures we are used to during the summer, but 
not the rare subzero temperatures that paralyzed the State 2 weeks ago. 
In other parts of the country, grids may face the opposite problem: 
They are able to operate during freezing temperatures but not during a 
heat wave. I am trying to work on a way to get funding to the States to 
help build grid resiliency in a way that makes sense for each of those 
specific needs.
  Our Nation has had issues with funding grid resiliency and 
modernization efforts, and this is a good opportunity to make an 
investment in that infrastructure. My hope is that this will be a big 
bipartisan effort, including fellow Members of the Texas delegation and 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle here in the Senate. We need to do 
everything we can as Americans and Senators to strengthen and modernize 
our grid before it is tested again. Team Texas will do everything we 
can to get our neighbors on the road to recovery and prevent us from 
experiencing widespread outages in the future.
  In conclusion, I want to thank everyone who has supported our State 
in ways big and small over the last couple of weeks and who will no 
doubt work with us in our efforts to come back stronger in the days 
that lie ahead.
  I yield the floor.

[[Page S918]]

  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COONS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.