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BY: @MattMackowiak [ [link removed] ]
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THURSDAY || 2/13/25
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AUSTIN NEWSLETTER LAUNCHED
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TOP NEWS
“Texas could sell 100 miles of border to feds, DPS has same powers as ICE, Abbott says,” Texas Tribune's Matthew Choi — “More than 100 miles of Texas’ borderlands could be leased or sold to the federal government as part of the state’s partnership with President Donald Trump to harden the border, Gov. Greg Abbott said in an interview with The Texas Tribune on Thursday.
Abbott is in Washington this week to lobby Congress for $11 billion to compensate Texas for money spent on his Operation Lone Star initiative, which he said was needed to fill gaps in the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement. The three-term Texas governor said he was ready to hand over to the federal government more than 50 miles of constructed border wall, nearly 20 miles of planned border walls, 100 miles of easements to build more walls, over 2,000 military beds for National Guardsmen and 4,000 jail cells to detain migrants.
The exchange of real estate and working border infrastructure built under Operation Lone Star differentiates this request from past appeals Texas has made to the federal government for border enforcement, Abbott said.
“This is not really a reimbursement,” said Abbott during a 10-minute interview at his Washington hotel. “This is a payment for real estate assets and improvements provided by the state of Texas as payment for services rendered by the state of Texas that benefits everybody in the United States of America.”
Texas contains more of the southern border than any other state, stretching over 1,200 miles. Texas officials have long boasted having very little federally controlled land relative to its size.
Abbott met with Texas Republicans and House Speaker Mike Johnson this week to make his case, as well as White House officials. Abbott also met with Trump last week.
It remains to be seen if Congress will allocate the funds or if Trump will support the move. Slashing federal spending is among Republicans’ highest priorities this year. Abbott didn’t say if his meetings with Johnson or Trump yielded support, but he described them as “very appreciative of everything that Texas did, and they thank us for Texas holding the line during the four years of open border policies under [President] Joe Biden.”
Texas Republicans expressed unity and optimism about getting the reimbursement passed. Sen. John Cornyn has been one of the leading voices in the effort in Congress and said the Texas delegation can use its large numbers to push the priority to the forefront of Congress’ attention. Texas sends more Republicans than any other state.
Cornyn added Abbott’s request is “a unique situation” because the money is for “expenses that were incurred by the state that should not have been incurred by the state, but for the failure of the federal government.”
House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, presented a draft budget resolution Wednesday, which would include $300 billion for border security and defense spending. Arrington supports the payment to Texas, calling it “the right and responsible thing” to do. But he acknowledged he would need to make sure whatever mechanism to send out the money is fiscally responsible. That would mean collaborating with members outside of the Texas delegation.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, one of the most hawkish conservatives on reining in spending, was supportive of the reimbursement, saying Texas invested in infrastructure the federal government should have built.
“$11 billion came out of the pockets of Texans. That's money that could be used for roads, for schools, for DPS, who should have been in Austin and Dallas and Dallas and San Antonio and Houston and not down on the border,” Roy said. “They were doing the job the federal government was supposed to do.”
U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, serves on the House Appropriations Committee and said he was confident all Republicans on the committee would support the effort. He said it would be an easier sell because the infrastructure is already in place." Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
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TOP NEWS
DMN: “ERCOT’s worst-case projections show potential power deficit” DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
DMN: “SMU, UTSW receive coveted R1 Carnegie research status” DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
#TXLEGE
TX TRIB: “Texas House committee assignments extend power of experienced GOP leaders” Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
DMN: “Texas Senate approves proposals to cut property tax” DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
SAEN: “Greg Abbott says vouchers could lead to less funding for public schools” SAEN [ [link removed] ] ($)
DMN: “Rep. Andy Hopper files bill to abolish the Texas Education Agency” DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
KVUE: “Sports betting bill filed in Texas House” KVUE [ [link removed] ]
STATE GOVERNMENT
HOU CHRON: “Texas Lottery jackpot under scrutiny after lawyer's fraud allegations” Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
HOU LANDING: “Mayor Whitmire releases efficiency audit of city departments, actual savings still unknown” Houston Landing [ [link removed] ]
SAEN: “Bexar County taps Michele Carew to lead elections” SAEN [ [link removed] ] ($)
TEXANS IN DC
TX TRIB: “Former TPPF leader Brooke Rollins confirmed by Senate for agriculture secretary” Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "In quest to infuse more religion into Texas schools, advocates say courts are now on their side" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Texas appeals court hears attorney general’s arguments for questioning Catholic Charities director over migrant services" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Certain criminal suspects would be denied bail under changes OK'd by Texas Senate panel" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "County judge approves election to decide whether SpaceX launch site will become a city" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "Texas to execute man for 2004 murders of strip club manager and friend" AP [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "Husband tells 911 he shot and killed his wife, then abruptly hangs up, Texas cops say" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "Texas county approves holding election to make SpaceX’s Starbase its own city" AP [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Texas now has more top-tier research universities than any other state, report finds" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Critics of Texas House leadership spent big in this year’s speaker’s race. They fought years for that chance." TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "Arlington charter teacher accused of improper student relationship. Principal also arrested" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "When and why Texas could soon be the largest state" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "Stephen ’tWitch’ Boss’ mom to seek legal counsel following Allison Holker’s memoir" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Texas to execute man who kept changing his mind about appealing death sentence for killing two men" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "USAID shutdown impacts Christian university with North Texas ties" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Abbott responds to pope: ‘The Bible calls for strong borders’" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> TPR: "A sisterhood of nuns is quietly emerging on Texas death row" TPR [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Houston's going broke. Whitmire needs to level with voters about taxes" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Trump's freeze on refugee resettlement causes massive Catholic Charities layoff" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "TCU professor arrested on bond violation after student reported he came to class drunk" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "84-year-old convicted of killing a mother in 1980 gets paroled after 45 years in Ohio" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> TPR: "San Antonio apartment rates have fallen slowly over the past 12 months" TPR [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "With Oak Lawn Place, Dallas gets affordable housing right" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Kyle City Council buys more land to continue construction of Vybe Trail" COMMUNITY IMPACT [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Activist investor reportedly takes larger stake in Houston energy company" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> TPR: "San Antonio commissions the biggest of its city-wide solar canopy shade installation project" TPR [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Man wanted for University of Houston sexual assault was arrested and released same day, records show" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "TCU women's basketball star Sedona Prince faces multiple abuse allegations, report says" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Montgomery City Council approves new HR, AP specialist position" COMMUNITY IMPACT [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Houston's best and worst school districts in 2024, according to Children at Risk" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
EXTRA POINTS
DALLAS COWBOYS: "Trade down? Cowboys make blockbuster move in NFL.com mock draft" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Texas football: Running backs coach Tashard Choice reportedly joining Detriot Lions" AAS [ [link removed] ] ($)
HOUSTON ASTROS: "Houston Astros: Alex Bregman era is over. How players are reacting" Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: "Spurs' 'very special' Stephon Castle a star among NBA's Rising Stars" SAEN [ [link removed] ] ($)
TEXAS BASEBALL: "UT baseball: Jim Schlossnagle says he has no animosity for Texas A&M" AAS ($)
DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Kyrie Irving scores 42 points to lead Mavericks past Warriors 111-107" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
DALLAS WINGS: "Dallas Wings announce broadcast rights agreement with TEGNA’s KFAA" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)

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