Last week, our nation witnessed history. I had the distinct honor of watching the Artemis II astronauts return safely to Earth, standing inside Mission Control at Johnson Space Center as they completed the most dangerous phase of their mission. Splashdown is the hardest part of any journey to space, where precision, discipline, and courage must come together perfectly. And once again, America’s astronauts delivered.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to reverse multiple lower district court rulings that blocked the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The amicus brief defends the Trump administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

This Partial DHS shutdown has gone on far too long. Democrats have prioritized politics over paying our dedicated personnel at TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, and across the entire Department of Homeland Security, while stalling on much-needed border security. For nearly two months, over 35,000 employees have gone without a paycheck while our national security is put at risk and travelers are impacted by endless security lines.

Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is pleased to announce that Watkins-Logan Texas State Veterans Home (TSVH) in Tyler is currently accepting resident applications. This TSVH, built in 2012, has a unique design with 10 individual cottages featuring 10 private rooms each, to accommodate 100 Veterans total. The Veterans home in Tyler is named after Travis Earl Watkins and James Marion Logan.

“Undocumented immigrants” are in the country illegally. That is a crime. There is no dignity in allowing those who break our immigration laws to remain. There is no dignity in disregarding the borders, language, and culture of our country so that a couple of well-connected corporations get cheap workers for cheaper goods and services to priced-out customers. For the record, there’s no such thing as cheap labor. We are paying for illegals’ wear and tear on our infrastructure, their children’s education, and their healthcare in our hospitals. 

Taxpayers do not voluntarily send their money to government — taxes are compulsory. When those funds are then used to influence legislation, citizens are effectively compelled to support political activity they may oppose. This raises a basic free speech concern: Compelled speech is fundamentally different from voluntary political participation. Individuals should never be forced to subsidize advocacy that runs counter to their beliefs or interests.

Eight blue states already have or are considering raising income or wealth taxes. HOTLINE readers asked us which ones. Here’s a list: Washington, Rhode Island, New York, California, Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey and Maryland. We expect some to pass and others to be defeated. Most of the proposals come from liberals who campaigned as pro-business moderates.

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that a Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant of $700,000 has been extended to The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) for a training cleanroom project on their campus in Dallas. The project includes equipment to teach participants about basic cleanroom operations, safety, and processing, offering hands-on experience that will support the growth of a vital semiconductor workforce for the region.

The Left went crazy over President Trump's recent tweet warning that if the Iranian "Regime" didn't cease blocking the international Strait of Hormuz, he'd hit its dual military-civilian infrastructure, and promised that "a whole civilization will die tonight. On Monday, the Democrat & Media Borg was declaring Trump a savage & deranged maniac. But since the Left has called for investigations of War Crimes, by all means let them begin. They'd better be careful what they ask for.

“School choice is about freedom. It's about the freedom of parents being able to choose the best education pathway for their child. We passed school choice. I consider this to be a victory dinner for everybody in this room, people outside of this room, and for the warriors who helped get school choice across the finish line. More importantly, it is a victory dinner for all the parents out there." 

Thanks to Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, starting next year, every taxpayer will be able to donate up to $1700 to a scholarship granting organization and claim a dollar-for-dollar credit on their federal taxes. But the scholarships can only be issued to students in states where the governor opts in. They are so attached at the hip to the teacher unions that they reject the free dollars. So far, the only exception is Colorado Governor Jared Polis. Amazing.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock reminds business owners that April 15 is the deadline to file property tax renditions with their county appraisal districts. Different deadlines apply for certain regulated property. A rendition allows property owners to record their opinion of their property’s value and ensures the appraisal district notifies property owners before changing a recorded value.

 Texas Land Commissioner & Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham has announced that the VLB's Veterans-Only Land Sale is now open for bidding. The sale includes three available tracts totaling 10.82 acres, and bidding closes on Thursday, April 16th at 5:00 p.m. A Veteran or Military Member whose bid is accepted may apply for a VLB Land Loan at a 7.25% interest rate, with a 30-year term and a minimum 5% down payment.

Iran has been the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror for decades. If we want to have fewer wars and a more peaceful, less dangerous world, a defanged Iranian regime is in everyone’s interest. Building on last summer's Operation Midnight Hammer, President Trump is serving America and the world with Operation Epic Fury, and he deserves our support. Mr. Trump understands that the way to win over a bully is not to give in.

On April 3, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) celebrated a major milestone – marking 135 years of service as the state’s oldest regulatory agency. Since its founding in 1891, the Commission has guided Texas through many significant periods of change, from its initial role regulating a rapidly expanding Railroad System, to the oil boom of the early 20th Century, and, more recently, the shale boom of the 2000s.

Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., issued a statewide CALL OUT for Veterans to contact the Texas General Land Office(GLO) to share their unique stories of service with the VLB through the GLO's Voices of Veterans Oral History Program. The GLO's Voices of Veterans Program records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock today announced that more than 274,000 students applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) during the program’s first year. The Comptroller’s office is currently working to verify students’ information before notifying families regarding awards later this month and distributing funds to student accounts in July. 

California’s education budget has grown into one of the largest public spending commitments in the United States, yet the relationship between funding and student outcomes remains weak, uneven, and increasingly difficult to defend. Over the past decade, state leaders have treated higher appropriations as a substitute for structural reform. That approach has produced a system where spending expands automatically, while accountability mechanisms remain largely unchanged.