‘How do you even sleep at night?’ Texas Sen. Ted Cruz faces backlash after Uvalde shooting
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is taking heat to his response to the shooting in Uvalde that left more than 20 dead, including at least 18 elementary school students.
Police say an 18-year-old gunman acted alone and is also dead.
Uvalde is a town of 15,000 about 80 miles west of San Antonio.
“Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde,” Cruz said in a post on Twitter. “We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding. Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.”
Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde.
We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding.
Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 24, 2022
Cruz’s sentiments, however, were quickly rebutted by many accusing him of hypocrisy. Cruz received more than $300,000 in campaign donations from gun lobbyists during his last senatorial campaign in 2018, more than $80,000 more than the second closest candidate.
Cruz released a statement that expanded on his social media message.
“Today is a dark day. We’re all completely sickened and heartbroken,” Cruz said. “As of now, 15 innocent people are dead. 14 were children. Others are still in critical condition or otherwise injured, and we are all praying for each of them.”
“We’ve seen too many of these shootings,” Cruz added. “No parent should have to bear the pain of burying their child. We need to come together, as one nation, and support Uvalde as they try to heal from this devastating loss.”
Cruz, fellow Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are scheduled to speak Friday at the National Rifle Association’s 2022 annual meeting in Houston.
Uvalde—15 killed
El Paso—23 killed
Midland-Odessa—7 killed
Santa Fe High School—10 killed
Texas has seen tragedy after tragedy, but Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have done the unforgivable: block even the most commonsense gun reform at every turn.— Giffords (@GiffordsCourage) May 24, 2022
NEW: Ted Cruz just attacked people who are “politicizing” Uvalde and looking for “immediate solutions” like gun reform. Reminder, Texas Republicans just passed dozens of new laws making obtaining and trafficking guns as easy as possible, including without any training or license.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 24, 2022
Ted Cruz is one of the many elected Republicans who loudly and proudly blocks and any and all action on gun control. https://t.co/LQu00XwU7m
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 24, 2022
No one wants your bullshit "prayers", Ted. We WANT common-sense gun laws.
Ted Cruz is pro-murder. https://t.co/S1U5xIT0vl— Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) May 24, 2022
Hey @tedcruz, get your fucking head out of your ass, stop blaming Biden for stupid shit and do something for a God damn change to bring down the gun violence in your state Goddammit.
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) May 24, 2022
Cruz was the single biggest recipient of $$$ from the pro-gun lobby during his last campaign. They got exactly what they paid for with him. https://t.co/hDYkU0PcsX
— Ezra Levin (@ezralevin) May 24, 2022
Raise your hand if you are SICK & TIRED of this THING with his copy and paste lifting up prayers. pic.twitter.com/BHE86dGEWP
— Human (@4HumanUnity) May 24, 2022
If you are one of the spineless cowards held hostage by the gun-lobby and have been an obstacle to sensible gun reform, just shut the fuck up, right now. https://t.co/ajudOLH7mu
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) May 24, 2022
You gotta do something about the guns
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) May 24, 2022
How do you even sleep at night? https://t.co/jLXOqH1lqJ
— Alex Berg (@itsalexberg) May 24, 2022
Sen. Chris Murphy delivers remarks on Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting: “What are we doing? What are we doing?…This only happens in this country and nowhere else. Nowhere else do little kids go to school thinking that they might be shot that day." https://t.co/Zh3OvUaIwm pic.twitter.com/TjJVoaFbRN
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 24, 2022