Normal Americans who are horrified by the systemic corruption, fraud and criminal theft from federal welfare and grant programs, believe that Nick Shirley is a hero for exposing these scams. They cost taxpayers hundreds of billions a year and perhaps topping out annually at more than $1 trillion. It's the greatest train robbery in history. Next month we are awarding Mr. Shirley our Evans and Novak award for outstanding investigative journalism.
I was proud to welcome Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to the Permian Basin this week to showcase the region's role in fueling the nation and world. The Secretary's visit was part of the Department of Energy's "Great American Energy Comeback Tour. Following our visit to a rig site, Secretary Wright and I addressed a rally at the Bush Convention Center in Midland alongside leaders in the American energy industry.
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines today praised the state’s most recent employment report data, which stated Texas led the nation in job creation over the past year, adding 165,600 nonfarm jobs between July 2025 and July 2026. According to data from the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas' workforce grew by 1.2% during those 12 months, outpacing the national annual job growth rate by a full percentage point.
Arizona teachers' unions just learned what every coach already knows: if you can’t put points on the board, the season ends early. Last week, the state Supreme Court ruled that their petition drive to gut the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program failed to gather enough valid signatures. The Protect Education Act, complete with its income caps and extra bureaucracy, will not appear on the November ballot.
In his letter, Governor Abbott called on the Department of Justice to immediately review these discriminatory facilities at DFW and IAH Airports and take appropriate corrective action. The federal government exercises primary authority over security and access within airport terminals. Because the airports receive federal funds, they are subject to numerous conditions attached to that funding—including the requirement to comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and protecting the rights of all Americans.
After Nick Shirley, helped blow open Minnesota's childcare fraud case, which has resulted in over 100 indictments, he went to California to post videos exposing Medicaid and other fraud. Rather than follow up on his findings, the state's welfare industrial complex concocted a bill dubbed the "Stop Nick Shirley Act." It shields government-funded nonprofits and groups from investigative journalism that aims to expose fraud.
College sports have reached a breaking point. Programs are disappearing, women’s and Olympic sports are being cut, and the transfer portal is the Wild West. This week, a court ruling opened the door for players on NFL rosters to return to college football. My legislation, the Protect College Sports Act, restores order, protects student athletes, preserves fair competition, and saves the sports and traditions fans love.
Advancing the Commission’s efforts to broaden inspectors’ expertise in electrical safety to support wildfire prevention, a first group of fourteen inspectors from the RRC’s Oil and Gas Division attended Electrical Power Awareness Training at the Quanta Advanced Training Center in La Grange from August 17–20. The program builds on recent Commission initiatives by providing specialized instruction designed to strengthen technical knowledge and equip inspectors to better identify and mitigate wildfire risks in the field.
Over the years, I had the privilege of leading several grassroots organizations including Chair of the Coryell County Republican Party as well as President of the Economic Development Board through some of the fastest growth Central Texas has ever seen. Core to the promise of conservatism is fair treatment of American citizens and businesses under the law. Right now, that promise is being broken by an obscure, decades-old provision buried in the federal tax code called Section 5010.
Governor Greg Abbott joined Tarrant County officials to highlight his property tax reform legislative proposal. Last week, Tarrant County adopted a resolution endorsing the Governor’s agenda to reform Texas’ property tax system that will help lower costs for Texans. Governor Abbott was joined by Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, Tarrant County Precinct 3 Commissioner Matt Krause, and Tarrant County Precinct 4 Commissioner Manny Ramirez.
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the Restoring Electoral Fairness and Opposition Rights through Mandates for Accountability Act. This bipartisan legislation imposes sanctions on Nicaraguan officials for abuses that undermine American national security and interests, including religious persecution.
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced today he will launch a detailed review of select school districts to ensure they are spending taxpayer funds responsibly following a formal request from Gov. Greg Abbott. The Huffines Performance Review will examine whether district spending complies with the law and reaches students, classrooms and teachers — rather than fueling administrative growth or non-instructional bureaucracy.
Texas added 1,600 nonfarm jobs in July to reach a total of 14,468,000 positions. Over the year, the state added 165,600 jobs for an annual growth rate of 1.2 percent, outpacing the national rate by a full percentage point. Texas’ civilian labor force registered at 15,915,600 after adding 10,800 people over the month. Over the year, Texas’ civilian labor force has added 17,800 people.
The most surprising result in the batch of primaries held this week over the vast stretch of America from Florida through Wyoming to Alaska was the defeat of famed anti-Trump whistleblower Alexander Vindman by state Rep. Angie Nixon in the contest for the Democrat nomination against appointed Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody in Florida. The big surprise is that he lost the Democrat primary by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin to Nixon, who raised only $974,000.
Governor Greg Abbott today announced Amazon has selected Austin as the site of a new robotics manufacturing facility. The multi-billion-dollar development will create 300–500 new jobs in manufacturing and engineering. The significant investment by Amazon in a robotics manufacturing facility in Austin confirms Texas’ role as a thriving innovation and logistics hub for the company.
Texas lawmakers examining the state's landmark data privacy law heard a remarkably consistent message Wednesday: the next step in protecting Texans online may be treating personal data like private property. House Delivery of Government Efficiency Committee Chairman Giovanni Capriglione convened an interim hearing Wednesday to study the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act and determine whether the law provides adequate protection for Texas residents and businesses.
Few states have expanded school choice opportunities more than Arizona. Its program serving thousands of disadvantaged kids has been an inspiration for many other states to expand education choices for families. Good news: Just this week the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a teachers’ union initiative to severely restrict the state's school choice program failed to gather enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., announced today that the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have signed a Construction Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate activities that support early implementation of the Coastal Texas Project (CTX). This agreement reflects the State of Texas’ ongoing commitment to advancing the nation’s largest coastal storm risk management and ecosystem restoration initiative.
