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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 28, 2009

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Says Governor Should Step Up And Take Responsibility For Texans Going Hungry

TYLER—Hank Gilbert, Democratic candidate for Texas governor, said Monday that the crisis in food stamp application processing—which could ultimately lead to a loss of federal funds for the state—was yet another example of Governor Perry’s failure to lead the state.

“Every time Governor Perry is given the chance to actually step up and lead, he sits back and does nothing. Our state stands to loose out on federal funds benefiting Texas’ most vulnerable citizens and Governor Perry is out running around pretending there is no recession and that there is nothing wrong in Texas,” Gilbert said.

Currently, Texas has a major backlog of unprocessed food stamp applications. Late last week, the Legislative Budget Board, headed up by House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, denied the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s request for funding to hire an additional 650 workers to help process the large backlog of food stamp applications. In addition, the backlog of food stamp applications has prevented as many as 95,000 qualifying electric and telephone customers in Texas from receiving discounts on their bills, as they must be qualified for food stamps before receiving the discount.

“Here Texas sits, completely out of compliance with federal law, with 38,000 hungry Texans sitting and waiting on someone in leadership in the Capitol to actually do something. And where is Rick Perry? He’s AWOL—‘absent without leadership,’” Gilbert said.

“As Governor, your power may be somewhat constitutionally restricted, but if Rick Perry wanted to help the 38,000 Texans who are waiting on their food stamp benefits to be processed, believe me when I tell you he could have done so. If nothing else, he could have demanded that the LBB do something,” Gilbert continued.

Gilbert also criticized Perry for spending the last nine years of his administration finding more ways to hurt Texans than help them.

“From House Bill 2922 that led to the disastrous experiment to privatize health and human services, which failed at a cost to taxpayers of almost $1 billion, to watching his allies like Tom Craddick and David Dewhurst balance the budget on the backs of ordinary Texans, Governor Perry has created fewer opportunities for Texans to help themselves or better themselves than any of his predecessors. We have fewer research universities, less public housing and spend less on Medicaid and unemployment recipients than many other states. Much of our population is stuck in poverty and Governor Perry’s ox is stuck in the ditch. He’s done nothing for poor and middle class Texans,” Gilbert said.

“I was always taught that how we treat the least among us—the poor, the disabled, the elderly—tells someone a lot about who you are. How Governor Perry treats these folks tells us a lot about what kind of leader he is,” he concluded.

Posted by nytexan September 28th, 2009 | Tags: Democrat, Food Stamps, Hank Gilbert, hunger, Rick Perry, Texas Governor | Category: Rick Perry, Texas, Texas Politics | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL