And he doesn’t care.
Like busing migrants to Washington D.C., Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott’s “tighter inspections of trucks entering Texas from Mexico” was political theater, not a serious policy or solution to a problem.
Migrants illegally jumping the border from Mexico into Texas and other states is a real problem. So is the $150 to $250 million (one estimate says $477 million) worth of produce that rotted while trucks waited up to 30 hours to cross the border, and you’re going to pay for it.
“Some retailers, particularly those in the grocery industry, have experienced supply chain delays resulting from the extended wait times along the Texas-Mexico border,” John McCord, executive director of the Texas retailers association, told Bloomberg.
Texas agriculture commissioner Sid Miller warned it would result in food price hikes, “likely increasing avocado prices to $5 apiece.”
“Going into this Easter weekend, consumers are going to see store shelves devoid of certain items,” with the Midwest and East Coast likely experiencing food shortages first, the head of the Texas International Produce Association predicted.
Abbott is running for re-election this year, so he wants to look like he’s doing something to stop human trafficking and drugs. It doesn’t matter whether his stunt actually did (it didn’t). Meanwhile, low-information voters will blame Biden for vegetable shortages and soaring vegetable prices. That may have been Abbott’s plan all along.
You don’t get to vote against him unless you live in Texas, even though his political clowning affects consumers all over the country. But remember this in case he runs for president someday. (The best solution, of course, is that Texas voters throw him out and he never runs for office again.)
