Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s recent support for federal disaster relief in his state is “hypocritical,” New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, R-N.J., said Friday from Iowa, in a sharp attack on his potential presidential rival.
“We have Senator Cruz — who voted against Sandy relief — now he says he’s got floods in Texas. He says ‘Hey, we need some help down here in Texas.’ It’s great, right?” said Christie at an Iowa town hall Friday, according to CNN.
“All of the sudden the principled vote that I’m making here on the floor of the United States Senate is ‘I’m not going to spend this kind of money on this kind of thing unless it happens in my state,” he added. “And then if it does, then it’s an absolutely appropriate expenditure of money.’ I mean, come on. Come on.”
Cruz vocally opposed a bill to help victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but now he says the government has an obligation to provide financial support in the wake of the deadly flooding in regions of Texas.
In a response to Christie’s accusation, Cruz didn’t specifically discuss his vote against Sandy relief but instead said his view “is exactly the same as it was before.”
“Of course, the federal government should assist with disaster aid, whether for Hurricane Sandy or for flooding in Texas,” Cruz said. “But politicians in Washington shouldn’t load up disaster relief with billions in unrelated pork-barrel spending.”
At the time Congress passed Sandy relief, Cruz said he opposed it because it included unrelated funding. The storm heavily affected Christie’s state.
Christie is expected within weeks to announce he’s entering the GOP primary race, which so far includes nearly a dozen Republican candidates, including Cruz.
