A Budget Is A Moral Document. This One Failed.

A front-row seat to the Texas House’s most cynical day yet.

Heads-up. This article is longer than most because this was the biggest day of the Legislative session.

There’s a story that every American is told as they grow up in this country. It’s a comforting fiction that despite our differences, our government is working toward the same general goals: a thriving economy, safer streets, healthier families, and a better life for our children. We’re taught that the disagreements between parties are just differences in approach and philosophy. And that disagreement isn’t one of morality or motive. That was a story I believed, once.

But belief is fragile. It erodes quietly, not with grand betrayals but with days like yesterday. A day when Republicans voted to block broadband for their own rural constituents. When they rejected a study on the economic damage of Trump’s tariffs. When they took $70 million from Medicaid to fund fake clinics that lie to desperate women. When they voted down a dashboard tracking hunger, eviction, and school lunch debt, because it might show the consequences of their choices. When they tried (twice) to defund public universities for teaching about race, gender, or queer people. When they tried to send $100 million to private prisons. When 42 of them refused to support a study of child abuse by religious leaders. When they fought harder for ideology and punishment than for facts, fairness, or basic humanity, and then called it governance.

In moments like this, the old story collapses, and a darker question emerges. What drives the modern right? Is it blind faith in trickle-down fantasies? Is it contempt disguised as conviction? Or something more hollow, perhaps a cynical performance of power for its own sake?

Whatever the answer, the consequences are real. And they are devastating.

Who would have thought that while watching every day of the Republican-led Legislature, on day 87, I would finally get choked up about the budget? But here we are, and we have a lot to talk about. Let’s get into it.

It all started simple enough. Greg Bonnen (R-HD24) laid out the full appropriations bill, followed by the various subcommittee chairs, each laying out their sections.

If you’re interested, you can watch the full layout HERE, but it wasn’t very exciting. Here were the major points on the budget:

• $3B under the constitutional tax spending limit.

• $16B under the population/inflation limit.

• Over $51B allocated for property tax relief, primarily through rate compression.

• $75.6B to fund the Foundation School Program, a $16B increase.

• Big reform legislation (HB2) is coming next week that will impact education funding further.

• $6.5B for Operation Lone Star and border enforcement.

• $331M for rural law enforcement and $42M for 567 new DPS troopers.

• Medicaid is funded at $80.6B, fully covering case load growth.

• $5B invested in mental and behavioral health, including new state hospital beds.

• $35.8B to TxDOT, fully funding the Unified Transportation Program.

• $1.5B increase for food and nutrition programs.

• $10M to acquire Robb Elementary in Uvalde and turn it into a memorial park.

Then came the amendments.

Typically, in the Texas House, when the bill’s author (in this case, Greg Bonnen) is okay with the amendment, the reps will say, “The author has accepted this amendment.” When that’s the case, most of the body will fall in line and vote in favor of the amendment. It’s a camaraderie thing.

Because there were 393 pre-filed amendments, all of which Bonnen and maybe Republicans were okay with, they were lumped together and voted for in one swoop. Brian Harrison (R-HD10) spoke against it. He argued that these accepted bills were full of DEI. 🙄

Only three Democrats voted against it, but what I found most interesting about this vote (and a few other votes we’ve seen recently) is that the leftists of the left and the furthest of the right seem to be voting in unison. They’re proving the Horseshoe Theory, one vote at a time.

After that, a few other controversial amendments came, and some Republicans voted against them without rhyme or reason.

• Mary González (D-HD75) had an amendment to add $100,000 to the Texas Commission on the Arts. It passed 107-36.

• Donna Howard’s (D-HD48) amendment changed the funding source for the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, but didn’t change the funding. It passed 99-46.

So, as you can see, we were already starting with dozens of Republicans voting against amendments simply because they came from Democrats.

If you’re wondering how your rep voted on these amendments or any others, you can find all those votes HERE.

Then came Mitch Little’s (R-HD65) amendment. He wanted to give Ken Paxton and everyone in his office a 6% raise.

A raise.

For a man who has turned the attorney general’s office into a personal shield and political weapon. For a man impeached by his own party for abuse of office, bribery, and corruption, only to be shielded from consequences by a Senate more loyal to power than principle. For a man who’s spent the better part of a decade dodging indictments and accountability while using the full force of the state to chase down personal enemies and settle petty political scores.

It’s hard to overstate how chilling that moment was. To see lawmakers, with straight faces, vote to reward that kind of conduct. To give more taxpayer money to an office that’s been used not to serve Texans, but to serve himself, and to punish those who don’t fall in line.

And that’s what gets me. Because for years, I’ve tried to understand these decisions through the lens of strategy, ideology, or even electoral pressure. But this? This wasn’t about policy. This was about publicly declaring that the rules don’t apply if you’re on the right team.

Erin Zwiener (D-HD45) called a Point of Order (POO), and it was sustained, killing the amendment.

Republicans took it personally and sought revenge.

The next amendment was from Yvonne Davis (D-HD111), which would have expanded broadband to rural and low-income communities.

At first, the Speaker (Landgraf was subbing in at the moment) said there were 74 yeas and 71 nays, meaning it would have passed. Half the chamber boo’ed, the other half cheered. A record vote was requested, meaning someone asked for the clerk to call the names out loud, and the reps verbally agree or disagree with their vote. A few Republicans piped up and said they mistakenly pushed the wrong button and wanted to change their vote to nay. After that, the votes were 73 yeas and 74 nays. The amendment failed. There will be no expansion of broadband internet this biennium.

Highlighted below are all of the rural Republicans who voted to block internet access for their own constituents.

Currently, 7 million Texans across 2.8 million households lack broadband access, with rural communities disproportionately affected. 33% of rural Texans do not have internet access at adequate speeds, hindering opportunities for education, healthcare, and economic development.

It’s not just a vote. It’s a signal. A moment of clarity. Because what kind of representative looks their community in the eye, hears their cries for connection, access to school, telemedicine, markets, and jobs, and says no?

The money was there. This was a choice.

Trey Martinez-Fischer offered an amendment that would have ordered the comptroller to provide a quarterly report on the impact of Trump’s tariffs on Texas. Every single Republican voted against it.

It was not because it cost too much or was impractical. It was because it asked a question they didn’t want answered. It might force them to reckon with reality and admit that the policies they’ve championed hurt Texas businesses, farmers, and families.

Next, Ana-Maria Ramos (D-HD102) introduced an amendment that would have taken $5 million from the $6.5 billion border security fund to create a public dashboard that would show:

• Eviction filings.

• Food insecurity rates.

• Utility disconnection notices.

• Local unemployment claims.

• TANF and SNAP enrollment.

• Public school lunch debt.

Every Republican and five Democrats voted against this Ramos amendment.

With friends like these.

Someone recently told me that Ramos wouldn’t speak against Richard Raymond’s (D-HD42) constant pandering to the right because they have a close friendship, but every time she has a bill or amendment come to the floor, he votes against it.

Yeah, with friends like these.

By that time, it was 5:00 pm.

The House gaveled in at 10:00 am, meaning when the clock hit five, everyone knew we were in for a long night. The next few amendments flew by:

• Andy Hopper’s (R-HD64) amendment would have given $35 million to Thriving Texas Families Program, aka fake pregnancy centers. Erin Zwiener called a POO. The amendment was withdrawn.

• Erin Zwiener’s amendment would have given minors with addiction access to substance abuse professionals. Briscoe Cain (R-HD128) called a POO. The amendment was withdrawn.

• Keresa Richardson (R-HD61) proposed giving $1 million to a mobile statewide workforce development pilot program. The amendment passed 141-3.

• Vikki Goodwin’s (D-HD47) amendment would have funded the Texas Tariff Relief Impact Grant Program. Mitch Little called a Poo. The amendment was withdrawn.

• Valoree Swanson’s (R-HD150) amendment required internet content filtering on digital resources provided through TexQuest, a program managed by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The amendment passed 107-38.

• Katrina Pierson’s (R-HD33) amendment defunds Infectious Disease Prevention, Epidemiology, and Surveillance by $2 million and increases the Child Abuse Prevention Grants. The amendment passed 124-20.

• Terry Wilson’s (R-HD20) amendment increased funding to the State Military Tuition Assistance Program. The amendment passed 132-11.

Then came the contention. Around 6:30 pm, Tom Oliverson (R-HD130) introduced an amendment that would have removed $70 million from the Medicaid program and increased funding for the Thriving Texas Families Program.

In my early 20s, I had a friend who went to one of these places. They lure low-income women in with “free pregnancy tests,” then tell them that if they get an abortion, they and their baby will burn in hell. Then they hand them pamphlets with pictures of aborted fetuses.

It’s terrible already that our taxpayer dollars fund this, but Republicans are now increasing those funds.

You can see the entire debate on this amendment HERE, but I wanted to highlight a few exchanges.

Lulu Flores (D-HD51) was angry. Rightfully so. She had a heated confrontation with Oliverson, even as Republicans in the audience jeered.

Then Chris Turner (D-HD101) confronted Oliverson. Turner is my rep, and I’ll vote for him again.

This amendment, to take $70 million away from Medicaid funding and give it to Christian propaganda centers preaching hellfire and pass out photos of chopped up fetuses, passed 90-56. Three Democrats voted with Republicans.

The night moved on.

• Tom Oliverson’s next amendment said that HHSC may not require a specific payment model. Trey Martinez-Fischer called a POO. The amendment was withdrawn.

• Next, another Oliverson amendment would direct HHSC to identify cost-saving initiatives of a certain amount. It passed 97-45.

• Another Oliverson amendment required the monthly resident verification of people on Medicaid. It passed 105-49.

Then, Democrats tried to expand Medicaid.

I love them for this. They tried, they really did.

John Bucy’s (D-HD136) layout of this amendment was stellar:

Listen to Democrats further explain how expanding Medicaid in Texas will save money and save lives:

Unfortunately, Republicans reacted as expected, pandering to right-wing lies about immigrants, fraud, and spending. It doesn’t matter to them that:

• As of 2023, Texas holds the highest uninsured rate in the United States, with approximately 4.9 million residents, about 16.4% of the state’s population, lacking health insurance.

• By accepting federal funds, the state could ensure the health of over a million low-income Texans, bringing in more than $110 billion annually in federal health funding.

• It would also help prevent rural hospital closures.

• It would save the hundreds of lives lost in Texas every year without access to healthcare.

• It would lower property taxes.

Nope, they voted against it because of right-wing conspiracy and lies. Maybe the answer to that question, “What drives the modern right…” is stupidity.

Ultimately, only Ryan Guillen (R-HD31) and Janie Lopez (R-HD37) crossed the aisle to save lives and make a fiscally conservative choice. Every other Republican voted against it, and every single Democrat voted for it. The amendment failed 63-85.

Check out this message Gene Wu (D-HD137) gave directly to Texans:

Texas really does have some of the best Democrats in the nation, too bad the worst Republicans in the nation often overshadow them.

And the budget debate moved on.

• Senfronia Thompson’s (D-HD141) amendment will allow HHSC to implement a diabetes prevention program. It passed 107-37.

• Don McLaughlin’s (R-HD80) amendment provided more funding for mental healthcare in Uvalde and surrounding regions. It passed 138-9.

• Angelia Orr’s (R-HD13) amendment is about rates under Medicaid Dental. It passed 131-17.

• David Cook’s (R-HD96) amendment will expand access to education opportunities for incarcerated Texans. It passed 144-0.

• Ryan Guillen’s amendment will increase transparency around recapture funds for education. It passed 148-0.

• Hillary Hickland’s (R-HD55) amendment funds training for more family medicine-obstetricians. It passed 136-11.

• Terry Wilson’s amendment increases transparency in the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP). It passed 145-0.

Thought the Legislature was done with the unhinged stuff for the night? Guess again.

By 11:00 pm, Andy Hopper had laid out an amendment to defund the University of Texas in Austin because it offers courses on LGBTQ studies and DEI. Now, think about that question from earlier, and watch Lauren Ashley Simmons (D-HD146) rip Andy Hopper apart.

He couldn’t even define the things he wanted to ban. Just, “GRRR, words bad.”

Simmons called a POO on Hopper’s amendment, which he eventually took down. The people of HD146 really made such a good decision in last year’s primary.

And the debate went on.

Then, Brent Money (R-HD02) laid out an amendment to defund Texas State University because they have academic programs related to gender, sexuality, race, and diversity.

Watch Erin Zwiener embarrass Money so much, he abruptly took down his amendment:

The best Democrats, I tell you.

But also, the worst Republicans. Next, David Spiller (R-HD68) laid out an amendment to take $100 million from the Department of Criminal Justice and send it to private prisons. Seriously. Private prisons. Where the goal isn’t rehabilitation or justice, it’s profit, where every inmate is a revenue stream.

This is not justice reform.

Watch Joe Moody (D-HD78) throw a lot of facts at Spiller about how bad private prisons are (once you get over how it even needed to be explained):

And surprisingly, Spiller’s amendment failed 53-93. Several Republicans crossed the aisle to vote against this absurdity.

• Jessica González’s (D-HD104) amendment orders a study on child abuse by religious leaders, an all too common occurrence in Texas. It passed 100-42.

Yes, 42 Republicans voted to look the other way when it comes to pastors and priests diddling children. Brent Money even attempted a POO on this amendment, but later withdrew it. Here were the votes:

• Joe Moody’s amendment would have directed DPS to report on fatalities and serious injuries from firearms purchased by individuals under 21. It failed 70-76.

• Jay Dean’s (R-HD07) amendment prohibits the TCEQ from spending resources or staff time facilitating the interbasin water transfer from the Cypress Basin. It passed 122-19.

• Jared Patterson’s (R-HD106) amendment will ensure the TCEQ cleans up the former Exide Battery Recycling Center in Frisco. It passed 147-0.

• Ramon Ramero’s (D-HD90) amendment directs the TCEQ to conduct a scientific study on the environmental impacts of desalination. It passed 96-38.

Just after midnight, Janis Holt (R-HD18) filed an amendment to Ramero’s amendment that would have changed the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” in the language.

• Suleman Lalani’s (D-HD76) amendment would have funded air quality testing in Fort Bend County. It failed 72-72. (A tie is a failed vote; it needs a majority to pass.)

• James Frank’s (R-HD69) amendment reallocates $5 million from the Texas Lottery to strengthen antitrust enforcement in the healthcare sector. It passed 133-7.

• Tom Oliverson’s next amendment allocates a full-time employee to the FQHC Primary Care Access Pilot Program. It passed 135-5.

• Chris Turner’s amendment forces transparency and public reporting from the Texas Department of Insurance when insurance companies deny or drop coverage. It passed 94-50.

• Gene Wu’s amendment would have shifted $512 million from a corporate energy subsidy to retirement benefits for state employees. Shelley Luther called a POO. Wu withdrew his amendment.

• Ana-Maria Ramos’ next amendment will require the State Auditor’s Office to conduct a forensic audit of the Texas Education Agency. It passed 100-37.

• Ramos also laid out an amendment that called for a deep forensic and performance audit of Operation Lone Star (long needed). It failed 58-82.

• Caroline Harris-Davila’s (R-HD52) amendment orders the TCEQ to study the cost-effectiveness of small, on-site wastewater treatment systems. It passed 140-2.

Then, just before 3:00 am this morning, the House made another sweeping motion to adopt all of the remaining amendments. They were tired (I was exhausted).

The final vote on the budget.

It happened after 3:00 am, on the House floor, after more than 17 hours. The whole body voted on the budget, which passed 118-26.

Brian Harrison, Gina Hinojosa (D-HD49), and John Bryant (D-HD114) spoke against the budget (Horseshoe Theory).

Here were the final votes:

Seventeen hours. Hundreds of amendments. A budget that touches every corner of Texas life, yet what echoed most loudly through that chamber wasn’t policy for all the speeches and ceremony. It was posture. Power plays. Punishment. A performative cruelty dressed up in legislative language.

I left that day not just tired, but heartbroken. Because if this session revealed anything, it’s that too many in the Republican majority aren’t here to govern, they’re here to dominate. To defund what they fear. To shame what they don’t understand. To redirect public dollars toward private profit, ideology, and revenge.

But I also saw something else.

I saw Democrats fighting harder, longer, and smarter than I’ve seen in years. Representatives like Gene Wu, Erin Zwiener, Chris Turner, Lauren Simmons, and Ana-Maria Ramos stood up again and again to speak uncomfortable truths, offer real solutions, and take the hits.

So where does that leave us?

Back in the real world. Where broadband still hasn’t reached millions. Where women are still being lied to in crisis. Where people are still dying because they can’t afford to go to the doctor. Where our schools are under constant ideological assault, and our dollars are quietly funneled into systems of cruelty.

And yet, there’s still a path forward. We name names. We track the votes. We hold the line. And most of all, we remember: the story we were told growing up may have been a lie, but the story we write next doesn’t have to be.

We just have to fight for it.

• April 22: Early Voting Begins

• April 29: Early Voting Ends

• May 3: Local and County Elections

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• June 3: The beginning of the 2026 election season.

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

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