Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has raised nearly $5 million in relief funds for Texans hit hard by the winter storm last week.
AOC launched her fundraiser on Thursday after Texas’ power grid failed amid the deadly winter storm, leading to rolling blackouts and water shortages.
By the time the New York congresswoman announced she was visiting the state on Friday, she had raised $2 million.
Her press secretary Ivet Contreras confirmed to CNN that as of Sunday evening, the amount of money raised by AOC was $4.7 million.
She visited Texas on Saturday, and helped to distribute food at the Houston Food Bank and visiting a home affected by the winter storm CNN reports.
“It’s one thing to read about what’s going on but it’s another thing entirely to see the damage for ourselves,” she said. “The message in Washington is let’s not let people get caught up in a bunch of red tape. Let’s try to get this assistance out the door as much as people need and as quickly as we can.”
The money raised by Ocasio-Cortez will go to the Houston Food Bank, Family Eldercare, Feeding Texas, The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center and Corazon Ministries among others, Houston Public Media reports.
This comes as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz continues to receive backlash for flying to Cancun, Mexico last week while his constituents struggled to survive.
