STATEMENT: Texas Democrats on Today’s Special Uvalde Investigative Committee Hearing

AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, as Texan families are being hit by a series of ongoing crises – including an epidemic of gun violence, a failing electric grid, record-high gas prices, and more – Governor Abbott and Texas Republicans held a special committee hearing to investigate the massacre at Robb Elementary, with a focus on mental health. 

Texas Democratic Party Co-Executive Director Jamarr Brown issued the following statement: 

“So many institutional failures led to the tragedy that occurred at Robb Elementary. We know that our state’s dangerous gun laws and the negligent response from law enforcement are to blame. 

“Yet Texas Republicans – despite wanting to shift the attention to mental healthcare – have shown that they care just as much about mental health as they do about gun safety: not at all. This year alone, Abbott has slashed $211 million from mental health services in Texas, ranking us dead last in access to mental healthcare among every state. 

“Not to mention, this hearing comes during one of the hottest weeks in recent memory for the majority of Texans – with an electric grid on the precipice of another mass failure. 

“It comes as Texan families are paying sky-high prices at the pump, with their Republican representatives in Washington refusing to even vote against price gouging by the oil companies.

“And it comes as Texan children continue to go to school worrying that today might be the day someone walks in with a legally-purchased weapon of war and massacres their entire classroom.

“So don’t be fooled by this tired talking point about mental health. Texas Republicans are just trying to shift the blame off of who it should really be on – themselves.”

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