Governor Greg Abbott announced that a Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant of $19,108,579 has been extended to Texas Tech University (TTU) for their next-generation computing cluster project in Lubbock. Governor Abbott signed the Texas CHIPS Act into law in 2023 to establish the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF), a grant program to continue Texas’ leadership in semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing, as well as the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium (TSIC).
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas-36), Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, applauded the Senate's unanimous passage of the bipartisan Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 (Weather Act).
The days since the midterm elections remind me of arriving at a crime scene as a police officer. Witnesses and bystanders have seen the same event, but they process it differently. Some are angry. Others are frightened or confused. A police officer cannot afford to join the chaos. You have to remain calm, establish the facts, help people regain their composure, and prepare for the next call. I’m grateful for those who do this difficult work.
A week later, Senate Republicans gave John Thune another term as leader, as if voters hadn’t just weighed in on how the last two years went. In order for Republicans to make a comeback in 2028, they need to move on from many of the past leaders and look to the next generation. Two winners in last week’s whoopin', Texas’ Brandon Gill and Wisconsin’s Michael Alfonso, are good examples. Both are young fathers who can speak to voters’ needs and who want to shape the future of the country their children will inherit.
In observance of Veterans Day and National Veterans and Military Families Appreciation Month, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Douglas A. Collins, and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler held an event at USDA headquarters to reaffirm their commitment to the men and women who have served to keep our country safe.
Governor Greg Abbott today requested a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for El Paso County following severe storms and flooding that impacted communities in Far West Texas late last month. If the request from the Governor is approved, the SBA disaster declaration would make low-interest federal disaster loans available to eligible homeowners, renters, businesses, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by the flooding to assist with recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Stephen, a student at California's Santa Monica High School, contacted my radio show with a complaint. California's Education Code requires elementary, middle and high schools to conduct "a patriotic ritual," like citing the Pledge of Allegiance, at the beginning of each school day. Santa Monica High was not doing this. So, he called my show, cited the Education Code and talked about the value of the pledge as a way of teaching students to understand the principles upon which our "American exceptionalism" was founded.
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines today took an unprecedented step to require all recipients of state grant funds to use the federal E-Verify system and comply fully with U.S. immigration law throughout the duration of their agreements. The rules ensure taxpayer dollars do not subsidize the hiring of unauthorized workers or support organizations that ignore federal immigration law. The requirements will be standard terms in future grants administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
Texas is experiencing booming economic and population growth. Every day, families, entrepreneurs, and businesses are choosing Texas over states like California, New York and New Jersey because the Lone Star State has built a reputation for economic opportunity, financial freedom, and a regulatory environment that encourages innovation. This success reflects a consistent approach that favors competition over control, and markets over mandates.
Republicans chose US Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Tuesday to lead them against a Democratic-controlled Congress that will take power in January for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. Jordan's election as House minority leader elevates a combative Trump ally to the forefront of the party’s fight to defend the US president’s agenda in the lower chamber
Governor Greg Abbott today announced the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) will receive $281 million in federal funding for the second year of Rural Texas Strong, a five-year initiative to improve rural healthcare throughout the state. Rural Texas Strong, the CMS-approved state plan, is 100% federally funded and features six initiatives to help rural communities improve access to healthcare.
When speaking of Democratic Party politicians, the answer to the question in the title is very easy—they are just pure evil. Some of them, yes, do fall into the other categories as well, but the people who advocate and urge evil (more on that in a moment) are evil. And every Democrat politician supports incredibly, vile, evil things. But when we are talking about the various people who vote for the Democrats, the motives and rationales are not always so uncomplicated.
Election defeats are painful, and this past one was particularly brutal for Republicans. But defeats can also be clarifying. And the message voters sent Republicans in 2026 was not particularly complicated. I’ve been around Republican politics for a long time, from local campaigns to presidential campaigns, from serving as executive director of the Republican Party of Texas to working at the RNC. I’ve seen good cycles, bad cycles, landslides and losses.
Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard was sold as a way to lower Texans’ electric bills. Critics, a good number of them Republicans, said all along it would do the opposite, and Tuesday’s results gave them a fresh argument. Paxton sued in November 2024 and has been attorney general since 2015. Nobody can say how much the lawsuit mattered at the ballot box. The Texas Tribune reported that his favorability stayed deeply underwater.
On a night with little good news for Republicans, last week’s election results in Florida were among the few bright spots. Republicans kept the governorship and all three Cabinet offices, while Sen. Ashley Moody defeated Democrat challenger Angie Nixon to keep her Senate seat. Moody beat Nixon 50.9 percent to 48 percent in a race that was called at 8:33 PM ET, just 33 minutes after the final polls in Florida closed.
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines today reported that the Austin Independent School District (AISD) is attempting to avoid scrutiny of how it spends local and state tax dollars by discontinuing cooperation in a performance review conducted by his office. Site visits conducted by Comptroller staff have been successfully completed in the other three districts; however, the Austin school district is now refusing to meet with agency auditors, according to their lawyer.
Liberal politicians and pundits realize that the losses by the Republicans may only represent a fleeting, and indeed predictable, shift in power. While played up by the media, the results this month are consistent with prior administrations. For example, the GOP’s loss of roughly 46 seats is modest compared with other presidents such as Roosevelt (79), Obama (69), Truman (68), and Clinton (54). Thus far, Trump is just making the top ten. Presidents like Obama, who experienced massive losses, came back to win second terms.
For decades, Dyess Air Force Base has played a critical role in America's long-range bomber operations. Now, with the groundbreaking for a $78 million B-21 mission planning facility, Dyess will continue to bolster our military readiness and capabilities. Texas and Texans will continue to lead in advancing the safety and security of Americans, and I look forward to working with our military bases across Texas to keep our country safe.
