Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) on Sunday reacted to Vice President Mike Pence watching a maskless choir at a Dallas church as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the United States.
Castro during “CNN Newsroom” slammed President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for squandering “people’s sacrifices” amid the coronavirus pandemic, noting that some people died and others lost their jobs.
“How concerned are you to see a picture of that time when cases in your state are surging?” host Ana Cabrera asked.
“It’s very alarming,” Castro replied. “And from the beginning, Greg Abbott … basically followed the see no evil, hear no evil, do as little testing as possible philosophy of Donald Trump. So, the governor was slow to test, trace and slow to treat patients with it, and because of that, we now have a huge problem with COVID-19 spreading. Text alerts were sent in the last few days throughout the different cities in Texas because hospitalizations are skyrocketing and ICUs are getting very crowded. And if this continues another week or two, a lot of hospitals will be over capacity.”
Cabrera pointed out that Abbott openly admitted he opened bars in the state too quickly.
“I think he knew back then he wasn’t doing the right thing but put politics above science and bowed to people like the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and folks on the right who didn’t want him to follow the science, who didn’t want a mask policy statewide, and he buckled. He gave in to that rather than doing what he should have done,” stated Castro.
Castro also urged Texans to “step up and be good fellow residents.”
“Wearing a mask shouldn’t be something that’s either liberal or conservative,” Castro advised. “It’s just way for all of us to combat this virus. And also, the longer we don’t do things like wear a mask, the longer this virus is going to continue.”
He added, “[T]he people of Texas and other places, most of them made sacrifices, stayed at home. A lot of people lost their job. People got sick. Some people died. But the leaders like Donald Trump and Greg Abbott, unfortunately, squandered people’s sacrifices. They didn’t do their part. So, our leaders have to do their part, and fellow Texans also have to be responsible.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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