Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claimed that President Joe Biden wants to “destroy minority communities” by giving them crack pipes during a Thursday appearance on “The Verdict with Ted Cruz.”
“He [Biden] actually went further, he said that crack pipes were important for racial equity, which seems extremely offensive to me to say that,” host Michael Knowles said.
“So it’s not only extremely offensive, if you were to come up with a conspiracy theory, this would usually be attributed to Republicans if you were to say ‘racist’ and the media conspiracy theorists always claim that to be Republicans,” the senator said. “The CIA wants to give crack pipes to minorities to destroy minority communities. That sounds like a conspiracy theory, except Biden is saying that’s what he wants to do. It’s like, holy crap, you want to fight for minority communities, get the kids off crack, don’t give them crack.”
Cruz said the Democrats want to get “as many people on crack as possible.” (RELATED: ‘Gang Bang Drug Dealer’: Senator Kennedy Blasts Crack Pipe Funding, Says Closed Border Will Help Drug Problem)
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved the “Harm Reduction Grant Program” to fund the distribution of pipes for users to smoke crack cocaine and other illicit drugs on Feb. 7, according to a single anonymous source cited by the Washington Free Beacon.
The program will reportedly distribute $30 million to local governments and nonprofits to make drug use safer by providing “smoking kits/supplies” to reduce the risk of infection, according to the outlet.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki denied this claim, saying that the kit would contain alcohol swabs, lip balm, and other hygienic products to help prevent the transmission of diseases at a Feb. 9 press conference.
The funds will prioritize institutions providing for racial and ethnic minorities, as well as the LGBT community in accordance with Biden’s executive order for “advancing racial equality,” according to the outlet.
The Department of Justice also said they are open to establishing “safe injection sites” where drug addicts can use dangerous drugs, including heroin, in a location where they are protected from overdosing.
Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin introduced the Preventing Illicit Paraphernalia for Exchange Systems (PIPES) Act on Feb. 11 to prohibit the federal government from funding the distribution of paraphernalia drugs, including crack pipes. Democratic Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy blocked a vote on the legislation Wednesday.