Fiscal Conservatism Is Dead And Texas Republicans Voted To Loot The Coffin

The party of fiscal responsibility just lit your tax dollars on fire.

Heads-up: There are more videos than usual in this piece, because last night’s debate was so shocking, you really have to see it to believe it.

Texas Republicans love to parade the label “fiscally conservative” like it’s a badge of honor, but last night’s voucher vote blew that myth wide open. In a marathon House session on Senate Bill 2, every single amendment that would have added financial safeguards, prevented fraud, protected children, or ensured the GOP rejected basic accountability in lockstep. Instead, they passed a billion-dollar voucher scheme that hands public funds to private schools and unregulated vendors, no transparency required, no educator standards, and certainly no strings attached. If this is fiscal Conservatism, it’s the kind that empties your pockets while preaching discipline.

Watch Republicans vote against letting Texas voters decide on vouchers:

The great fiscal Conservative lie.

For decades, Texas Republicans have clung to the label “fiscal conservative.” They run on it. They fundraise on it. They weaponize it against Democrats every chance they get. But when it came time to prove it last night on the House floor, they tossed it straight into the trash.

SB 2, Governor Abbott’s prized voucher scheme, passed with Republican support despite carrying a price tag of $1 billion in public funds. Not just any public funds, but money meant for Texas schoolchildren, rerouted into an unregulated pipeline of private schools, political cronies, and fly-by-night vendors. No audits. No performance metrics. No required educator certifications. Just a massive public payout with almost no strings attached.

Watch Republicans vote against prioritizing low-income students under the voucher scam:

And here’s the kicker: it didn’t have to be this reckless. Throughout the debate, House Democrats filed amendment after amendment, commonsense proposals to guard taxpayer money, ensure basic accountability, and protect students. Every single one of them was voted down by Republicans, in total lockstep. From banning self-dealing and enforcing anti-fraud protections to requiring schools to take kids with disabilities or disclose where the money’s actually going. They said no to everything.

Watch Republicans vote against ensuring Texas never spends more on private school vouchers than on public education:

The same lawmakers who love to fearmonger about “welfare fraud” just rubber-stamped a billion-dollar giveaway with fewer safeguards than a lemonade stand. So let’s be clear: this isn’t fiscal Conservatism. It’s fiscal hypocrisy, dressed up as “school choice.”

Watch Republicans vote against putting a $1 billion cap on the voucher fraud:

What the voucher bill does.

At its core, SB2 is a simple scam dressed up in bureaucratic jargon. Here’s what it does:

It takes $8,000 per child in taxpayer money and hands it over to private schools, including religious institutions and for-profit companies, with no meaningful public oversight. That’s not hyperbole. The money doesn’t go to the public school system. It goes into “education savings accounts” managed by outside contractors, who then pay approved vendors directly. Now, read the fine print.

Watch Republicans vote to allow private schools to spend taxpayer dollars on advertising under the voucher scheme:

The vendor criteria are vague at best, and the so-called “certified educational assistance organizations” that manage the funds are allowed to market the program, process applications, and pay themselves for doing it, all while dodging the transparency required of actual public schools. There’s no requirement that voucher schools take all students. No obligation to follow the state curriculum. No mandate to hire certified teachers. SB2 explicitly says private schools don’t have to follow federal disability laws like public schools do.

Watch Republicans vote against allowing voucher funds to be temporarily reallocated to public schools during a recession to prevent layoffs and school closures:

Worse still, the bill opens the door to a flood of unregulated religious and for-profit actors. Any group that slaps an “education” label on its website can get in line for a piece of the $1 billion pot. No accountability. No public meetings. No guarantee of results. Just public dollars bleeding out of the education system and into private hands.

Watch Republicans vote to prioritize giving wealthier families taxpayer dollars under the voucher scheme:

The amendments Republicans united against:

If Texas Republicans actually cared about fiscal responsibility or public accountability, they would have supported any of the following amendments. Instead, they voted in lockstep to kill every single one. Here’s what they said no to:

• Requiring that private school educators meet the same qualifications as public school teachers. If you’re giving them public money, the least they can do is be qualified. Republicans said no.

• Requiring every education vendor that gets voucher dollars to post their employee salaries and wages publicly. If you’re spending taxpayer funds, the public deserves to know where it’s going. Republicans said no.

Watch Republicans vote against ensuring public school recapture funds couldn’t be diverted to private school vouchers:

• Prohibiting state legislators from sitting on the board of any private school receiving voucher funds. If you’re serious about preventing corruption, this is basic ethics. Republicans said no.

• Requiring private schools receiving funds to honor a child’s individualized education program (IEP). If you’re going to take public money, you should serve all kids, including those with disabilities. Republicans said no.

Watch Republicans vote to give taxpayer dollars to themselves under the voucher scheme:

• Prohibiting private schools from receiving public funds if they discriminate based on race, religion, disability, or income. If a school can take our money, it shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose which kids deserve an education. Republicans said no.

• Creating criminal penalties for vendors or officials who defraud the voucher program, and felony charges for knowingly violating program rules. If you want to protect taxpayer dollars, you punish fraud. Republicans said no.

Watch Republicans vote against preventing millionaires and billionaires from receiving taxpayer-funded vouchers:

• Proposing that if voucher funding increases, public school funding should automatically increase at the same rate. If you’re not gutting public schools, prove it. Match the money. Republicans said no.

• Requiring private schools receiving funds to follow public-school-level safety standards: mental health training, emergency plans, and security protocols. If a child’s life is at stake, this isn’t optional. Republicans said no.

Watch Republicans vote to allow private schools to discriminate under the voucher scam:

Each of these amendments was common sense, fiscally responsible, and grounded in fundamental fairness. Republicans blocked them all. That’s not conservative governance. That’s corruption with a press release.

Where the money really goes.

It’s always about “the kids,” until you follow the money. Then it becomes evident that SB2 was never about kids. It’s about creating a new pipeline of public funds for private interests and ensuring as little of it as possible is traceable.

The bill sets up a system where a handful of approved vendors, picked and managed by the comptroller, and a handful of “certified educational assistance organizations” get access to the $1 billion voucher fund. But the criteria for becoming a vendor are so vague that almost anyone with a website and a basic business registration could qualify. Private religious schools, for-profit charter operators, and political donors, they’re all lined up at the trough.

Watch Republicans vote against transparency under the voucher scheme:

There’s also no cap on administrative fees. These educational assistance organizations can pay themselves out of the program fund for “marketing” the vouchers, “supporting” parents, and “managing” transactions. Up to 5% of the entire program’s funding can go straight to administrative overhead. That’s tens of millions of dollars right off the top before a single kid even enrolls anywhere.

And it gets worse: Democrats filed amendments to require that at least 50% of the voucher money actually go toward a child’s tuition, you know, the thing the bill pretends to be about. Republicans voted that down, too.

Watch Republicans vote against protecting children from sexual assault:

If this bill were really about helping families afford better education, why would they oppose a rule that makes sure the money actually pays for schooling?

Because it’s not about education.

It’s about carving out a new, publicly funded market for private enrichment, with your money, no receipts required.

Watch Republicans vote against prohibiting private schools from using public tax dollars for legal settlements:

What real fiscal Conservatism looks like (and why this ain’t it).

Let’s remind ourselves what fiscal Conservatism is supposed to mean:

• Efficiency: spending taxpayer dollars wisely

• Accountability: knowing where the money goes

• Transparency: letting the public see how their money is used

SB2 delivers none of that. Not a single one.

Watch Republicans vote against keeping taxpayer dollars in Texas under the voucher scheme:

There’s no efficiency when public money is funneled into private schools with no academic standards and no guarantee of outcomes. There’s no accountability when vendors don’t have to disclose salaries, when parents don’t have to verify actual tuition payments, and when fraud is met with a shrug instead of a penalty. There’s no transparency when the entire operation is tucked behind private vendor contracts and exempt from most public disclosure laws.

Meanwhile, public schools in Texas are micromanaged to death. Every textbook, every staff hire, every dollar spent is subject to audits, TEA mandates, performance ratings, and public accountability. But under SB2? A private religious school can collect $8,000 per student from the state and never have to explain where it goes, or why its principal makes six figures while kids use decade-old materials.

Watch Republicans vote against requiring private schools to have anti-bullying programs under the voucher scheme:

This bill didn’t tighten the purse strings.

It cut them, and handed the bag to people who didn’t even have to show you what was inside.

SB 2 isn’t fiscally conservative.

It’s fiscally reckless by design.

Watch Republicans vote against school safety under the voucher scheme:

The party of no receipts.

Texas Republicans love to preach about personal responsibility and fiscal restraint, until it’s time to live by those values. Then the rules change. SB2 isn’t just a betrayal of public education. It’s a betrayal of every voter who thought “fiscal conservative” meant something. Unfortunately, the people who need to see these videos most probably never will.

They had every opportunity to prove they cared about accountability. They had every chance to protect taxpayer dollars. And amendment after amendment, they looked the other way. They handed public funds to unregulated vendors, let private schools discriminate and dodge standards, and killed off even the most basic financial guardrails.

This wasn’t governance. It was a heist.

So the next time a Republican politician tells you they’re a “good steward of your money,” remember this vote. Remember the SCAM Act. Remember the $1 billion they just gave away, without oversight, without ethics, and without shame.

They’re not conserving your money.

They’re laundering it.

And they hope you’re too distracted to notice.

• 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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