As Hurricane Harvey Winds Down, Texas Members of Congress Tour European Castle

As the Texas coast looks toward recovery amid the death and destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey, several lawmakers from the state were at a popular tourist spot in the Czech Republic this weekend.

Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, a senior Appropriations Committee member, was spotted taking a tour of Prague Castle on Saturday. Carter was seen strolling through the castle complex, along with Reps. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas. The group snapped photos and were told the history of St. Vitus Cathedral.

Carter told The Intercept that he was thinking about Houston while on a foreign operations congressional delegation.

“That’s my hometown, I was born and raised in Houston. I’m concerned about Houston,” Carter said, when asked about the crisis in his home state. “We increased FEMA funding, and we continue to increase funding,” he added.

GOP lawmakers have come under fire in recent days for pushing to cut nearly $1 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief account in order to pay for President Donald Trump’s wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Carter, who serves on the committee responsible for spending matters, emphasized that FEMA would be fully funded.

The congressional delegation spotted in Prague today met this week with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to discuss supplying arms to Ukraine.

But in the Czech Republic, the immediate goals of the delegation were unclear. The group of lawmakers walked quickly to two waiting black Mercedes-Benz vans after their tour of the Prague Castle complex.

Before ending our brief interview, Carter said, “I’ll be going home in two days.”

Top photo: Texas GOP Rep. John Carter tours the Prague Castle in Czech Republic, on Sept. 2, 2017.