At age 100, President Carter was the oldest former president in history, and he left a legacy of honorable military and public service.  His decades-long dedication to building homes for those in need was truly remarkable. Our hearts and prayers are with the Carter family during this difficult time.

This year, I visited with business leaders and government officials in India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom to showcase the booming Texas economy and attract more businesses to invest in our great state. As Texas looks toward growing our economy even more in 2025, we will continue to provide leading businesses from across the nation and the world with the opportunities they need to thrive in Texas.”

Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a victory for President-elect Donald Trump’s border-security agenda during a hearing today before a federal judge. The hearing was called at Attorney General Paxton’s request to uncover potential legal violations committed by the Biden Administration after recent reports that segments of the border wall were auctioned off for pennies on the dollar. 

McMahon is the former head of the Small Business Administration. What is particularly enjoyable about this is that academia has long had a disdain for business, especially small business. Plus, the fact that McMahon co-founded World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is quickly turning the academic smirking class into the crying class. The head of the WWE will be in charge of every academic elite across the country? Could this be more beautiful? As Elon Musk has often said, the most ironic outcome is the most likely.

The opioid epidemic remains a devastating crisis in the United States. In 2022 alone, over 80,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses, and nearly 10 million Americans misused opioids. Surprisingly, among the most vulnerable populations affected by this epidemic are seniors. The National Institutes of Health has reported a troubling surge in opioid use and abuse – among those aged 65 and older.

From everyone at the Texas Insider to you, our readers and loved ones, may this Christmas Season be filled with Blessings, Love, Joy, and Giving. May you cherish your time and memories together. We wish all a blessed Christmas, and may the Lord continue to bless us and bring us all a brighter, Happy New Year!

Here's my "Top 10" wish list for the incoming Trump Administration to make America healthy and prosperous and great again in 2025. These are admittedly bold aspirations for an economic transformation toward freedom and free enterprise – but the one person who can get it done is Trump.

Builders, tradespeople, homeowners, even DIYers across the country depend on access to various Building & Safety Codes to ensure their projects meet nationally standardized legal and safety standards. But under Democrat Sen. Chris Coons's bill, Standard Development Organizations (SDOs) would be able to copyright the nation's technical standards, meaning they could charge for or control access. The consequences would extend beyond mere inconvenience – and is simply irresponsible.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) bipartisan Source Code Harmonization And Reuse in Information Technology (SHARE IT) Act passed the Senate, and will head to President Biden’s desk for his signature. The SHARE IT Act, introduced with U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.), would require government agencies to share custom-developed source code—thereby avoiding redundant government contracts to build software.

Texas’ civilian labor force achieved another new record high in November. In addition, Texas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment increased to 14,286,700 after 9,100 jobs were added over the month. Texas added 274,300 jobs from November 2023 to November 2024. Texas’ annual nonfarm growth rate reached 2.0 percent, outpacing the U.S. growth rate by 0.6 percentage points.

If the sections of the wall that are being sold were purchased with the funds that must be used to secure the border, then the Biden Administration would be in violation of the federal court order. President-Elect Donald Trump has called for the outgoing government to immediately halt the sale of any materials. Attorney General Paxton has now filed a motion with the court to intervene and prevent any sections of the wall from being sold illegally. 

Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, Senate Finance Committee Chair Joan Huffman, and House Appropriations Chair Dr. Greg Bonnen today pledged to allocate funding to stabilize minimum unemployment insurance rates for businesses across the state during the 2025 legislative session. The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund managed by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is projected to need additional funding next year.

In the weeks before the 2016 Trump Electoral College victory, Donald Trump was polling between 35 and 40 percent. He would average only about 41% approval over his tumultuous four-year tenure. No one knows what lies ahead over the next four years. But for now, Trump already polls well over 50% approval. His inauguration in a few weeks will likely not resemble Trump's 2016 ceremony.

"As long as we provide taxpayer funded Social Services to illegal immigrants, there's no physical barrier or number of Border Patrol Agents that will stop them. To add insult to injury, we’re paying $9,000 per illegal immigrant – more than we spend on Medicaid for our most vulnerable Americans or military retirement benefits for soldiers,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, introducing the "America 1st Act" to prevent illegal immigrants paroled into the U.S. from accessing billions of dollars intended for American families.

"I am proud of the accomplishments within this bill, and I will continue to advocate for accountability, readiness, and the strength of our armed forces,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz following his securing passage of eight provisions in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), securing critical wins for Texas military communities, service members, and national security. "This legislation also provides a long overdue salary increase for our servicemen and women," said Cruz.

Designed to help the Texas RRC continue to safeguard groundwater and surface water – while adapting to modern waste management practices such as recycling produced water, and recent advancements in production methods – the rules update requirements on the design, construction, operation, monitoring, and closure of waste management units, and will improve the RRC’s ability to track and collect data on oilfield waste transported throughout Texas, including geothermal, carbon sequestration, and brine mining wells.

"I made a promise to use every tool at my disposal to secure our border and protect Texans. That's why I've offered state leaders and President-Elect Trump the opportunity to store any wall panels his incoming administration may acquire on state land," said Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, announcing earlier today that the Texas General Land Office, the State of Texas, and the State of Missouri have asked a U.S. Dist. Court judge to investigate the Biden Admin’s decision to sell Border Wall Material as it prepares to leave the White House.

The media long ago crafted its narrative that the world would end if Congress ever allowed even a short "Government Shut-Down," or any type of reduction in Federal Spending. The media, the Left, and the D.C. Swamp may refer to it as a "government shutdown," but most Americans – as evidenced by the last election – want a smaller, more efficient and fiscally responsible Federal Government. Yet here we are, once again, with the United States Congress putting its inability to manage its pocketbook on display for the whole world to see.