‘More important things than living,’ Texas’ Dan Patrick says in coronavirus interview
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional comments.
After indicating last month that he would exchange his life to help keep the economy afloat, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on Fox News Monday night that he was grateful Texas is taking the first steps to reopen the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“I’m sorry to say I was right on this. And I’m thankful that we are now, finally, beginning to open up Texas and other states because it’s been long overdue,” Patrick told talk show host Tucker Carlson on Fox News Monday night.
Patrick recounted the numbers of COVID-19 related deaths in Texas — 495 as of Monday night. He stressed that “every life is valuable” but compared them to the state’s population of 29 million people.
“But 500 people out of 29 million and we’re locked down, and we’re crushing the average worker. We’re crushing small business. We’re crushing the markets. We’re crushing this country,” Patrick said. “And what I said when I was with you that night, there are more important things than living. And that’s saving this country for my children, and my grandchildren and saving this country for all of us. And I don’t want to die, nobody wants to die, but man, we got to take some risks and get back in the game, and get this country back up and running.”
Patrick, who recently turned 70, was referring to his comments nearly a month before when he suggested in an interview with Carlson that as a senior citizen he would be willing to risk his life “in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren.”
Criticism quickly followed after a clip of the March 23 interview went viral, and on Twitter Tuesday morning people pushed back on Patrick’s latest comments.
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement Tuesday, that Texas Republicans, like Patrick, “would put Texans at-risk to enrich themselves and their stock portfolios.”
“The lives of our families, our friends, and our communities have no dollar amount,” Hinojosa said. “Texas Republicans can no longer claim to be the pro-life party anymore.”
Patrick has been vocal about his desire for Texas to revitalize the economy as soon as feasible, and on a tele-town hall organized by the Republican Party of Texas earlier this month, he pointed to the first week of May as a possible time to begin taking those steps.
Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled guidelines that permit retail businesses to begin reopening their doors by operating “to-go” in the face of the novel coronavirus’ spread. Abbott has stressed reopening the economy will be a slow process that will occur in phases.
During a press conference Tuesday from the Texas Capitol, Gov. Greg Abbott said the timeline to reopen businesses in Texas is one that “the lieutenant governor and I have spoken about for a long time.”
Abbott also stressed the need to protect the health of at-risk groups, like elderly Texans or those with underlying health conditions, who are more likely to develop complications from the novel coronavirus.
“We as a state must do all that we can to protect our most vulnerable population. Make sure they do no contract COVID-19. Make sure that we keep them out of our hospitals,” Abbott said.
Revised guidance on reopening businesses will be issued April 27, and last week Abbott floated the possibility of loosening his order requiring Texans to stay at home through April if the number of positive cases declines.
But public health experts have cautioned that loosening social distancing guidelines could lead to a resurgence in cases, and have stressed that policy decisions must be guided by data.
Patrick questioned previous predictions from the Trump administration’s top public health experts, pointing to fewer deaths than what was previously projected.
“We’ve had the wrong numbers, the wrong science, and I don’t blame them,” Patrick said. “But let’s face reality of where we are.”
However, Abbott reiterated Tuesday that decisions on when to allow businesses to open their doors, needs to be based on data and science and done “in conjunction with the best advice from some of the best doctors in the United States of America advising us.”
The virus has rocked the economy, and stay-at-home orders have forced some businesses to close and have led to record job losses and claims for unemployment insurance. And on Monday, oil prices plunged below zero.
State leaders have faced growing calls from conservative lawmakers to loosen restrictions to get Texans back to work and hundreds defied social distancing restrictions Saturday to protest the state’s stay-at-home order at the Texas Capitol.
Patrick reiterated Monday night that Texas “can do two things at once.”
“We cannot endure this much longer. You know every month we stay closed, it’s going to take two to three months to rebuild,” Patrick said.
“So, it’s time to get back to work. Texas will lead it.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 11:19 AM.
