MSNBC’s Katy Tur Blasts Ted Cruz for Hurricane Hypocrisy: ‘It’s Not Political Sniping’ (Video)

Cruz maintains his previous stance against a bill for Hurricane Sandy relief

Ted Cruz’s appearance on MSNBC Monday night didn’t turn out well for the Texas senator.

Correspondent Katy Tur interrupted Cruz after he called a 2013 relief package, meant to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy, “political sniping.” He also said that he spent much of Sunday on the phone with federal officials, trying to “martial additional assets.”

“It’s not really political sniping,” Tur said. “These are people who needed money and who needed funding right after that storm.”

“I covered those people,” Tur continued. “Many of them, just like those in Houston, lost just about everything they owned.”

Cruz clapped back, holding his ground on the Sandy bill. “Two-thirds of that bill had nothing to do with Sandy,” he said. “What I said then and still believe now is that it’s not right for politicians to exploit a disaster when people are hurting to pay for their own political wish list.”

As Texas lawmakers ask for federal funding to help with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey, their colleagues in New York and New Jersey are accusing them of having a short memory — as when those states asked for aid during their own natural disaster, representatives from Texas refused to pass a $50.5 billion relief package for Hurricane Sandy. All but one Texan representative in Congress voted for the bill in 2013, and that was Rep. John Culberson.

Though a relief package for Harvey has yet to be proposed in Congress, representatives from the Garden and Empire states say that, despite potential hypocrisy, they won’t withhold funds from Texas. They remember the devastation all too well.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said, “the congressional members in Texas are hypocrites,” but pledged support; Rep. Pete King of Long Island tweeted, “I won’t abandon Texas the way Ted Cruz did New York;” and Rep. Frank LoBiondo tweeted, “Despite my TX colleagues refusal to support aid in #SouthJersey time of need, I will support emergency disaster $$ for those impacted.”

The Sandy relief package included short term aid as well as long term projects, some meant for future hurricane forecasting.

Watch Cruz and Tur face off in the video above.

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