Austin, TX
Texas politicians react to Biden’s visit to Austin: ‘True statesman and patriot’
President Biden visited Austin on Monday to deliver comments at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act and honoring the legacy of a president recently likened to Biden for his decision not to seek reelection in 1968.
His visit prompted several state and local politicians to comment publicly about Biden’s legacy, record, and decision to step down from the ticket in November.
Here is what Texas politicians had to say about President Biden’s visit:
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin
Doggett wrote that Biden was a “true statesman and patriot” in a post to X documenting the president’s arrival at ABIA. His remarks come after the congressmen became the first house Democrat to publicly call for Biden to step down from the ticket.
More: Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s first call for Biden to withdraw sparked a national movement
Mayor Kirk Watson
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson wrote on X, “The fact that the American economy is the strongest in the world post-pandemic has everything to do with Joe Biden’s leadership,” in a post containing a photograph of the two politicians shaking hands on the tarmac.
Mayor Watson continued by noting that America owed Biden a “debt of gratitude” both for his leadership in the White House and for his “extraordinary decision to pass the torch of leadership.” Watson finished his statement by pledging a commitment to helping elect Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
More: Bryan Cranston reads from LBJ speech ahead of Biden’s visit to celebrate Civil Rights Act
Texas Governor Greg Abbott
While Abbott did not comment directly on Biden’s remarks at the LBJ library, he did take the opportunity to deride POTUS’ policies regarding the Southern border, emphasizing that Biden would not be visiting the border during his time in Texas.
“Joe Biden & his Border Czar Kamala Harris can come all the way to Texas but not the border,” Abbott wrote on X. “Americans are waiting for them to take this national security crisis seriously.”
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin
Congressman Casar was also among the handful of politicians who greeted Biden upon landing in Austin. In a statement released following POTUS’ arrival, Casar praised Biden for his recent pledge to reform the Supreme Court, a central topic in his remarks at the LBJ library.
“With term limits for the justices, an ethics code, and a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity, we can ensure the Court is balanced and not corrupted by billionaires and extremists,” Casar’s statement read. “These reforms would continue the legacy of President Lyndon Baines Johnson — protecting and advancing civil rights for everyone.”
More: ‘No one is above the law’: Biden calls for sweeping Supreme Court changes
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso
Representative Escobar wrote on X that she was honored to join the President as he commemorated the signing of the Civil Rights Act, a historical moment she described as “representing the culmination of an arduous fight in the never-ending pursuit for equality.
The president was also greeted by Texas Representatives Al Green, Sylvia Garcia, and Lizzie Fletcher as well as Texas Senate and House Minority Leaders Carol Alvaro and Trey Martinez Fischer.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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