Congressman Gill: Coordinated effort in Texas working well to deal with winter storm aftermath, restore power

Deadly winter storm shifts to extreme cold in Texas

Parts of Texas remained in a deep freeze Tuesday morning with temperatures well below average, though highs were forecast to push into the upper 30s and low 40s by the afternoon before another arctic front hits. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) joined LiveNOW from FOX's Christy Matino to discuss the state's response to the impact from the storm and what lies ahead for Texas. 

In an interview with LiveNOW Digital Journalist Christy Matino, Congressional representative Brandon Gill (R-TX) says Texas is getting through the winter storm with a coordinated effort with federal, state, and local officials.   

Representative Gill: Texas isn’t used to freezing temps 

"The biggest thing to keep in mind whenever you have storms like this in a state like Texas, who are not used to having sub-freezing weather for multiple days, is power outages. That's the biggest and people can stay home, and they can stay warm, then typically they can stay safe. Luckily in Texas, particularly in North Texas, which I represent, we have not seen widespread power outages like we did several years ago. You do have localized power outages where wind or ice or something like that takes down a power line. Emergency officials have been able to get in and fix and restore power relatively quickly over the past few days. So we've been very blessed in that sense. People are hunkering down. The roads are extremely icy. Of course, it's freezing cold outside. But again, as long as the power stays going, people generally stay safe," said Gill.   

Representative Gill: Coordination with state and local officials in Texas is working well

"My team and I are in daily contact with local mayors, county commissioners, county officials, county judges, as well as the Texas Emergency Preparedness Department,as well as the National Weather Service. So we're getting real time information every day, making sure that the local officials have what they need. We're talking to local food banks to make sure that they have what they need. That helps coordinate if there is a power does go out in large areas that will allow us to coordinate responses. So we're in daily contact with them. And right now, local food banks are telling us that they have. What they need and warming centers are telling us that they still have capacity," said Gill. 

Representative Gill: Congress needs to work to improve power grid resilience   

"The answer, I think, is to get as much power, to put it simply, as possible. I've been a big proponent of using fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, resources that are available in the extreme cold like what we're seeing now. Now, those are long-term solutions, things that we need to look at once we get through this immediate storm. You know, right now, the goal is to make sure that the people of North Texas, people all over Texas are safe. But in the long term, I think better grid reliability depends on energy resources that are available all the time," said Gill.

Rep. Gill was elected to Congress in 2024 to represent Texas’ 26th Congressional District, which is north of Dallas Fort Worth and includes rural Cooke County, some of Wise County, and parts of Denton County.  Gill was sworn in to the 119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025.