Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) lambasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on the Senate floor Thursday, criticizing his remarks for saying people should put aside their agendas in the wake of the deadliest school shooting in Texas history while planning to speak at an NRA Convention in Houston Friday.
Schumer's blistering comments came Thursday morning, a day after Abbott's briefing on the investigation into the shooting on Wednesday afternoon was interrupted by gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, who accused the governor of doing nothing to stop gun violence in the state and signing off on legislation making it easier for anyone to obtain a gun.
After O'Rourke was escorted out of the briefing, Abbott said Texans should put aside personal agendas and focus on healing.
"We all, every Texan, every American, has a responsibility where we need to focus not on ourselves and our agendas, we need to focus on the healing and hope that we can provide to those who have suffered unconscionable damage to their lives and loss of life," Abbott said.
"We need all Texans to, in this one moment in time, put aside personal agendas, think of somebody other than ourselves, think about the people who are hurt and help those who have been hurt."
Schumer, on Thursday, said the victims' families aren't looking for thoughts and prayers and instead want change and results.
"Yet the MAGA Republicans don't want to get the results, they're ossified in their opposition to any action on gun safety. No matter the cause of violence and no matter the cost on the families, nothing speaks to move them," Schumer said.
"Yesterday, after Beto O'Rourke confronted Texas Gov. Abbott's press conference the MAGA governor gave some empty platitudes about healing and hope. He asked people to put their agendas aside and think about someone other than themselves. My God. How dare he? What an absolute fraud the governor of Texas is. And this is the same Gov. Abbott who tomorrow, tomorrow, will go speak at the NRA Convention in Houston."
Abbott, along with Sens Cornyn and Cruz and U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, were all expected to appear at the Houston convention with former President Donald Trump.
Since the shooting, Cornyn and Crenshaw have both said they won't be attending and that they notified the NRA of other commitments prior to the massacre. Cruz has not responded to requests about his plans while the governor has said he is currently focused on the people of Uvalde.
"Gov. Abbott, will you ask your MAGA buddies and your NRA pals to put aside their agendas and think of someone other than themselves? Like you asked the families to do? Will you ask the gun manufacturing reps, who will swarm over to the NRA Convention, to put aside their agendas and think about someone other than themselves? Of course not," Schumer said.
"This nation is enraged as well as being exhausted. It's been through this over and over and over again over the last two decades. People are sick of mourning again and again while listening to the same string of hollow words from the MAGA Republicans that never lead to action."
A spokesperson for Abbott confirmed to NBC 5 Thursday that the governor would no longer be attending the event on Friday, but will be addressing the convention by taped video.
