John,

There was Cerena, a Texas Rising member, who abandoned her home and made a dangerous trek on snowy, icy roads to her partner's dorm room. There was Pablo, a San Antonian who lost heat in his home and tried to keep warm in a closet. And there was Tamara, from Houston, who is dealing with extensive damage to her kitchen.

These were some of the stories shared on social media during today's emergency committee hearings at the Texas Legislature on the power outages that we're calling the #AbbottBlackout.

Follow Our #AbbottBlackout Twitter Moment

Beyond a weather event, what happened last week was a human-made disaster. It's what happens after decades of negligence and policies that favor corporate interests at the expense of the people of Texas.

Texans demand accountability and they need to know this will never, ever, happen again. But today will have been a giant waste of time if our lawmakers believe their job is done by demanding a few resignations and asking a few questions in a committee hearing.

What Texans don't need right now is more of a far-right agenda — like attacks on LGBTQ people, abortion bans, barriers to voting based on lies — that does nothing for working famlies, especially in times of crisis. What they do need now is substantive action to prevent another crisis and more tragedies, and they need financial relief to repair the damage.

We're sending a very clear message to lawmakers today and for the rest of this legislative session: Put people ahead of politics and profits.

In the fight,

Val Benavidez
TFN President

P.S. TFN has been holding our elected officials accountable for over two decades. And with your support, I know we can do even more. If you are able, please consider making a donation of any amount to help us keep our communities safe.