The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking steps to advance the Trump Administration’s commitment to unleashing American energy and economic prosperity and is streamlining program delivery for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Rural Development through the Rural Business Cooperative Service (RBCS) is issuing a final rule with comment period that will simplify the application process, reduce risk to the agency, and protect taxpayer dollars.

Some HOTLINE readers have occasionally asked if the Trump Derangement Syndrome is really that bad. Well. Consider the case of James Carville, Bill Clinton's brilliant presidential campaign manager. Now Carville admits he has a severe case of TDS. He frequently appears as a Democratic "wise man" on countless news shows and was asked last week on the "Politics War Room" podcast about TDS. Carville embraced the label in a profane, unhinged rant.

TXOGA released a new episode of its podcast, TXOGA Talks, taking listeners inside the Texas Cyber Command (TXCC), the state agency created by the Texas Legislature in 2025 to defend government systems and critical infrastructure from cyber threats. TXOGA President Todd Staples is joined by TXCC Chief TJ White led the Navy's cyber operations before taking charge of the San Antonio-based agency, for a conversation on why energy infrastructure is a target, how the Command defends it, and what every Texan can do to stay safe online.

Comptroller Don Huffines announced a Taxpayer First Project initiative to give every Texan an unprecedented view of how Texas Education Freedom Accounts funds are spent while safeguarding the personal data of Texas students and their families. With more than 100,000 students enrolled and more than 100,000 on the waitlist, the demand for education choice is clear. The audit will be separate from, and in addition to, the regular audit the State Auditor’s Office is performing.

Millions of Americans rely on programs like SNAP to put food on the table. When fraudsters steal those dollars to fund lavish lifestyles, they are stealing from families in need and from the taxpayers who fund the program. I want to thank Vice President JD Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud for cracking down on more than $40 million in SNAP fraud, with charges expected against dozens of defendants, including a rapper who set cash on fire

Seattle’s FOX affiliate reports that the city now has “the highest office vacancy rate in the country.” Some 35% of the offices in the Seattle Central Business District are empty with 20 million square feet of office space but no tenants. The city is now becoming known for “Zombie Towers”– near empty skyrise buildings.  Downtown office properties have lost half of their assessed value since 2020, which has raised property taxes on homeowners.

Governor Greg Abbott today announced $40 million to 411 Texas school systems through the Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnerships (PREP) Program Allotment. This funding will strengthen teacher recruitment, preparation and mentorship, and bolster Texas' teacher workforce. Established by House Bill 2, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, and signed into law by Governor Abbott in June 2025, the PREP Program Allotment is part of Texas’ historic investment in public education and the educator workforce.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in announcing that the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub has been awarded nearly $24 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) FY2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program. This program allows disaster-impacted communities across America to pursue projects that support long-term economic recovery.

Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced that ranchers in 40 states are expected to receive $57 million to expand their capacity and create new and better markets through the MPPEP. USDA’s MPPEP provides grants to help eligible independent processors expand their capacity. MPPEP is managed by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Business-Cooperative Services and pending Congressional allotment, will be investing a total of $57,424,130 in 147 tentative awards across 40 states.

Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced that his performance review team has completed its on-site evaluation of Prosper Independent School District and is now analyzing information gathered during last week’s visit. The team will release a comprehensive review of district operations by the end of the year. Gov. Greg Abbott requested the review so the Legislature can consider the findings before the start of the next legislative session in January 2027.

Governor Greg Abbott today praised law enforcement for the arrest of a 17-year-old from McKinney accused of a radical Islamic plot to assassinate U.S. Representative Keith Self and commit a terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS. The juvenile remains in federal custody after his arrest on October 5. The Texas Department of Public Safety will continue working with federal law enforcement to disrupt these threats and protect Texans.

Friday, President Donald J. Trump announced the launch of the America First Seafood Strategy (PDF, 8.5 MB) and several actions the Trump Administration is taking to support the American seafood industry. Among these actions is the announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making at least $5 billion available in loans through the Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) Guaranteed Loan Program to expand, improve, and diversify the processing capacity of American meat, poultry, and seafood.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement after President Trump signed the bipartisan Mystic Alerts Act into law. Sen. Cruz advanced the legislation through the Senate Commerce Committee in September, and it passed the Senate that same month. This legislation allows wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) to be delivered via satellite communications technologies when traditional cellular networks are unavailable during emergencies.

This November, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is hosting the 15th Annual Hiring Red, White & You! event series. The series includes nearly 30 hiring events across the state from Nov. 2-20 to connect veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses to Texas employers. Since 2012, these free hiring events have connected more than 28,000 employers with 167,000 job seekers, including 56,157 active-duty military, transitioning service members, veterans, and their spouses.

Governor Greg Abbott celebrated Texas as America’s jobs leader with today’s U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment release showing Texas led all states with a gain of 154,300 jobs over the last 12 months. With an annual growth rate of 1.1 percent, Texas outpaced the national rate by 0.8 percentage points. Today, Texas is the top state for attracting new, job-creating business investment and the top state for small business job creation.

RRC Commissioner Wayne Christian praised remarks by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright during his Tuesday visit to Houston, where Wright highlighted the economic opportunities presented by responsible data center expansion, the importance of investing in energy infrastructure and the U.S. Department of Energy’s $50 million investment in Texas grid resilience. Christian emphasized that lawmakers must respect each Texas community's decision on data center development. 

Texas FIRST goes on offense against crimes including government corruption, government fraud, sales tax fraud, and unclaimed property fraud. The team identifies, investigates, and dismantles schemes that steal taxpayer money, exploit state programs, and corrupt government — and recovers what was taken. Texas FIRST works alongside the division’s regional investigators across Texas and partners with local, state, and federal law enforcement.

Seven Harmony Public Schools-Central Texas campuses have been named to the U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary Schools and Best Middle Schools rankings. All eligible campuses in the region earned a place on the list. The rankings cover about 47,000 public elementary schools and more than 23,000 public middle schools nationwide. Schools are ranked at the state and district levels, and charter schools are ranked in their own category within each state.

“If you can't provide policies, or support policies that protect the most innocent among us – the unborn child – how can we trust that you’re going to provide policies to protect the rest of Texans?” asked Jodi Hunt, a professor of Applied Ministry at the University of Dallas Wednesday evening during a CNN "Town Hall" Event. She was challenging the Democrat's U.S. Senate candidate, James Talarico, about many of his long-established stances from a Catholic Voter's point of view. “The Bible is not silent on abortion,” said Hunt. "There is the 10 Commandments, Thou Shalt Not Kill."

Governor Greg Abbott announced 84 Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants totaling over $20 million have been awarded to Texas public junior, state, and technical colleges; school districts; and open-enrollment charter schools. The JET grants, awarded through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), will help schools buy equipment to start or improve career and technical education (CTE) training programs that lead to high-demand careers.