Perry Blasts Slow Federal Response as Texas Wildfires Flare Up Again
Gov. Rick Perry is again criticizing the Obama Administration for ignoring his appeal for a federal disaster declaration for Texas, where wildfires continue burning out of control over wide areas.
Perry's remarks come on the heels of President Obama's rapid federal disaster declaration for Alabama, where spring storms and tornadoes killed more than 200 people this week.
In an interview on a San Antonio radio station, Perry pointed to the widespread fire damage in west Texas, saying "You see hundreds of thousands of acres of Texas burning and you know that there will soon be emergency declarations, and we did that now a couple of weeks ago, but still no response from this administration.
Perry says people in Texas are suffering too, and he is asking Obama "why are you taking care of Alabama and other states (affected by the storms)? I know our letter didn't get lost in the mail."
Perry is an outspoken opponent of Health Care Reform, and the state is suing the EPA over a proposal to end Texas' independent air quality permitting program for factories and refineries.
Perry says the Obama White House is 'punishing' Texas for his success in implementing policies the Administration doesn't like, and for his aggressive advocacy of the 'Tenth Amendment', the so called "States Rights Amendment." Perry has also been mentioned as a possible GOP Presidential candidate.
The Texas Forest Service reports several new wildfires, including a 56,000 acre fire west of San Antonio, have flared up due to renewed dry and windy conditions. The fires have so far consumed more than two million acres of west Texas, and conditions are getting worse. President Obama, meanwhile, plans to visit Alabama today. Obama has no plans to visit Texas.
More From Newstalk 860
