Texas Senator Ted Cruz defends pandemic relief funding that helped two billionaire donors raise $ 35 million
American Ted Cruz, R-Texas, defends himself on Twitter after a History of the Wall Street Journal called attention to his work to secure pandemic relief funding for oil companies owned by a pair of billionaire GOP donors.
The WSJ article highlighted potential conflicts of interest between Cruz and Lone Star State billionaires Dan and Farris Wilks. The senator pushed the Federal Reserve to make a loan program available to oil and gas companies, including those owned by the brothers, who have contributed heavily to Cruz’s campaigns.
The Wilks brothers later withdrew $ 35 million in coronavirus relief funds, according to Journal information. Around the same time, they also injected large investments into other energy companies.
On Twitter, Cruz defended his offer to extend the Fed’s loan program to the oil industry, saying he wanted to protect jobs in Texas.
1/2 This tweet is misleading. I did not “weigh in” on behalf of any particular company. I sent a public letter to the Fed arguing that the ENTIRE oil and gas industry should not be wrongly excluded from emergency loans.
I am proud to stand up for jobs in Texas. https://t.co/m4O1UO3zRt
– Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 27, 2020
“This tweet is misleading. I did not ‘weigh in’ on behalf of any particular company,” said Cruz, responding to a tweet from Newspaper on its history. “I sent a public letter to the Fed arguing that ALL of the oil and gas industry should not be falsely excluded from emergency loans. I am proud to stand up for jobs in Texas.”
This defense did not really win the sympathy of the Twittersphere.
A respondent suggested that Cruz use his influence so that the billionaires return the money. Others accused the senator of bestowing favors on the wealthy while the rest of his constituents struggled through the economic crisis.
No one said you weighed in on behalf of anyone in particular, but the result was two billionaires from Texas got $ 35 million in aid. Billionaires shouldn’t need public funds. Maybe you can “influence” their return?
– MyFencingPics (@ dieselnyc1) December 27, 2020
So you “weighed” on behalf of billionaires, but you are nowhere to be found for the workers. Understood.
– lauralouisiana (@llauralouisiana) December 27, 2020
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