Texas
Texas defense hawks urge Congress away from military funding cuts to raise the debt ceiling
:focal(0x499:3000x2000)/static.texastribune.org/media/files/f884411810cc2d74c1acd1dab4f0ec30/0122%20DC%20File%20EG%20TT%2013.jpg "Texas defense hawks urge Congress away from military funding cuts to raise the debt ceiling")
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WASHINGTON — As U.S. Home Republicans debate what to chop out of federal spending of their debt ceiling combat with Democrats, a handful of Texans have a transparent message: Don’t mess with the army.
Republicans within the majority are utilizing the debt ceiling as a negotiating instrument with the Biden administration to scale back federal spending, however they’re divided over the place to trim the fats. Some, together with Texans who’ve lengthy defended army spending, are asserting Congress shouldn’t contact protection funding, whereas others say all funding aside from entitlements must be on the desk. It’s an uncertainty that Republicans can hardly afford with solely a six-vote margin of management within the Home.
Texas Republicans have eked out central roles within the debt ceiling discussions inside their get together. U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul, Home International Affairs Committee chair, and Kay Granger, Home Appropriations chair, are each identified protection hawks who’re in opposition to chopping any army spending. In the meantime, Reps. Jodey Arrington, Home Funds Committee chair, and Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus, are prepared to scorch earth to steadiness the nation’s books. Roy finagled new affect inside his get together after the fraught energy steadiness created throughout this 12 months’s tumultuous Home Speaker election.
The stakes are excessive. The Biden administration urged Congress final month to swiftly increase the debt ceiling so as to repay curiosity on its money owed and to finance federal packages already accepted by Congress. Failure to take action may imply the nation defaulting on its debt — which it has by no means completed earlier than — and gravely damaging religion within the nation’s financial system and property.
It’s an consequence each events agree can be catastrophic for the world. The federal authorities is projected to expire of cash in the summertime, at which level Congress can be pressured to boost the debt ceiling so as to keep away from excessive measures.
“I believe it’s honest to say that is probably the most critical scenario regarding the debt ceiling since 2011,” stated U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, the highest Democrat on the Home Funds Committee.
Protection spending has steadily elevated beneath each Democratic and Republican presidents and Congresses. Final 12 months’s federal spending invoice included a ten% improve in protection spending, development that protection hawks within the Republican convention, like McCaul and Granger, assert is important with rising threats from China, Russia and Iran. The invoice included about $45 billion in assist for Ukraine and NATO in a bid to stave off additional aggression from Russia.
However a vocal handful of far-right Republicans within the convention are skeptical about sending more cash to defend Ukraine. They argue securing the U.S.’ southern border must be an even bigger precedence. It’s a view that McCaul calls harmful.
“If Ukraine falls, Chairman Xi in China’s going to invade Taiwan,” McCaul stated in a CNN interview. “They speak in regards to the border — not mutually unique in any respect. We will do each. We’re an amazing nation.”
Final 12 months’s spending bundle to fund the federal authorities took months of negotiations to cross, with excessive potential for a collapse earlier than the tip of Congress. The uncertainty led to fears inside the Protection Division that it will not have the ability to plan its monetary agenda simply as Russia threatened to escalate its battle in Ukraine, and protection spending supporters aren’t eager on a repeat.
Granger’s committee determines how a lot cash ought to go to particular person authorities packages, and though she opposed the spending invoice due to its excessive spending on non-defense priorities, the Fort Price Republican is a significant supporter of protection spending, together with manufacturing in her North Texas district.
Roy stated he would favor to protect and even improve protection spending within the subsequent price range course of, however he isn’t ruling out trimming the protection fats so as to steadiness the nation’s books. When requested if protection spending was nonetheless within the combine to be reduce, he stated, “You’ve received to go work out the way to get it completed.”
Roy additionally voted in opposition to a $40.1 billion assist bundle for Ukraine final Could, shortly after Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, although his main objection to the invoice was the style during which it was rushed to the ground, barring members from learning and debating it earlier than it was put up for a vote. He additionally raised considerations with the shortage of income streams to finance the invoice, which means one other pile-on to the nationwide debt.
Roy informed The Texas Tribune his private choice can be to decrease all discretionary spending — aside from protection — to ranges from earlier than the pandemic. He wouldn’t contact obligatory spending for entitlement packages corresponding to Medicare and Social Safety advantages. Doing so can be politically fraught with Republican voters, lots of whom depend on the social spending advantages.
However that leaves few choices for chopping, and Democrats have made it clear the sorts of cuts Republicans are pushing for on non-defense packages are a nonstarter.
“Should you say we’re gonna reduce authorities however we’re not going to the touch Social Safety, Medicare or protection? OK, nicely, you’re speaking about, , pennies on the greenback,” Boyle stated. “Nondiscretionary protection contains quite a lot of necessary issues: training, Pell Grants, well being look after veterans. Quite a few issues that, frankly, lots of their members are for.”
“This can be a little like saying, I’m going to go on a food plan however I’m not going to chop out cheesecake, cookies and all kinds of sweets,” he added.
Republicans might want to get Democrats on board within the Senate, which is beneath Democratic management.
Republicans have lengthy been fearful that the ballooning nationwide debt — a lot of which is taken out to repay previous loans — is creating an unsustainable burden for future generations. They view the approaching debt restrict as the right probability to pressure Democrats to get on board with provisions to rein within the deficit. Each events have voted to boost the debt ceiling, and the nationwide debt has elevated steadily beneath each events.
Far-right members of the Home Republican convention, led by Roy, negotiated with Speaker Kevin McCarthy throughout his bid for the speakership to return general discretionary spending to fiscal 12 months 2022 ranges, which have been the spending ranges applied earlier than final December’s $1.7 trillion authorities spending bundle. That may imply a reduce to roughly $1.47 trillion in fiscal 12 months 2024, which begins this October.
Previews of the present debate emerged then, when Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, voted in opposition to the bundle that set the foundations for the present Congress and included the settlement to decrease authorities spending.
“Placing hundreds of thousands of {dollars} on the fence is a nasty concept. And yeah, particularly now after we received a rising menace and China and threats to Taiwan,” Gonzales, a Navy veteran, stated on the time.
Roy’s workplace sternly denied that protection cuts have been ever a part of any negotiations with get together management on the time.
In the meantime, Democrats in Congress and the White Home say defaulting on the federal debt is simply too harmful of a chance to make use of as a bargaining chip and are demanding to boost the debt ceiling with none circumstances. Boyle asserted that Congress must deliberate over how a lot cash to spend in its annual price range and appropriations course of anyway, and there was no have to tie spending to the debt ceiling.
However Arrington dismissed Democrats’ calls for of a “clear” debt ceiling raise as unrealistic. Democrats will want Republicans’ help as a lot as Republicans want theirs to raise the debt ceiling, and he’s refusing to cross on the possibility to make spending cuts aligned with the settlement reached between Republican management and Roy’s dissenting camp in January.
“I don’t assume the president will escape having to cope with negotiating some fiscal reforms in probably the most accountable manner in order that we will bend that debt curve, in order that we will get on a sustainable path, stave off a debt disaster and act like adults,” Arrington stated in an interview with Fox Information.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit Thursday targeting the blue city of Dallas over a ballot measure that decriminalizes marijuana.
Paxton alleges that Proposition R, which “prohibits the Dallas Police Department from making arrests or issuing citations for marijuana possession or considering the odor of marijuana as probable cause for search or seizure,” violates state law.
The attorney general argues in the lawsuit that the ballot measure is preempted by Texas law, which criminalizes the possession and distribution of marijuana. Paxton also claims the Texas Constitution prohibits municipalities from adopting an ordinance that conflicts with laws enacted by the state legislature.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court on November 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“Cities cannot pick and choose which State laws they follow,” Paxton said in a statement. “The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them.”
Paxton called the ballot measure “a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution” and threatened to sue any other city that “tries to constrain police in this fashion.”
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A flower bud of marijuana. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
The lawsuit comes after interim Dallas Police Department Chief Michael Igo directed Dallas police officers not to enforce marijuana laws against those found to be in possession of less than 4 ounces.
Ground Game Texas, a progressive nonprofit group that campaigned in favor of the ballot measure, argued it would help “keep people out of jail for marijuana possession,” “reduce racially biased policing” and “save millions in public funding.”
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A mature marijuana plant begins to bloom under artificial lights at Loving Kindness Farms in Gardena, Calif., May 20, 2019. Paxton has sued the city of Dallas over a ballot measure that decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
“It’s unfortunate but not surprising that Attorney General Ken Paxton has apparently chosen to waste everyone’s time and money by filing yet another baseless lawsuit against marijuana decriminalization,” said Catina Voellinger, executive director for Ground Game Texas.
“Judges in Travis and Hays counties have already dismissed identical lawsuits filed there. The Dallas Freedom Act was overwhelmingly approved by 67% of voters — this is democracy in action.”
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Since January 2024, Paxton has filed lawsuits against five Texas cities that decriminalized marijuana possession, arguing these policies promote crime, drug abuse and violence.
The Texas Longhorns are heading back to Austin with some early-season tournament hardware in hand.
Tre Johnson battled through another poor shooting night but closed the game out for Texas once again, scoring a game-high 17 points to lead the Longhorns to a 67-58 win over Saint Joseph’s at the Legends Classic championship round in Brooklyn Friday night.
Transfer guard Julian Larry sparked the Longhorns late, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half. Arthur Kaluma added 14 points, four rebounds and four assists while Kadin Shedrick had 10 points and six rebounds.
The Hawks were led by Rasheer Fleming, who stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Xzayvier Brown added 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting.
The Longhorns jumped out to an 11-6 lead after seven early points from Kaluma. St. Joe’s started out cold from the field but controlled the game with hard-nosed defense and the occasional press while dominating the offensive glass. This was highlighted by a possession where the Hawks got four consecutive offensive rebounds but only scored one point as a result.
Johnson stayed aggressive on offense for Texas but was off on his shot and was impacted by the on-ball defense of St. Joe’s.
Mark, Pope and Johnson all hit a triple for Texas in about a two-minute span ahead of halftime to give the Longhorns their biggest lead at 32-26 but the Hawks responded with a free throw from Haskins 3-pointer from Brown before halftime to cut the lead to 32-30.
The defense from the Hawks ramped up even more, as the Longhorns were stuck in the mud on offense and had little to no ball movement. St. Joe’s was hardly much better, but its defense continued to set the tone and eventually swung the momentum.
Larry then hit back-to-back triples as the two teams traded buckets on five straight possessions. Consecutive dunks from Ajogbor and Fleming but the Hawks in front 50-46 with 8:25 to play, but Larry continued to take over. He hit 1,000 career points with a driving layup before finding Kaluma for a corner triple to put Texas back in front at 51-50.
It didn’t stop there for Larry, who found a cutting Shedrick for a dunk before diving on a loose ball down at the other end to secure possession for Texas, which had built a 55-52 lead with 3:13 left. The Longhorns used the momentum to put together an 8-0 run, which essentially sealed the win in a game where scoring felt hard to come by.
Johnson then closed the game out with six points in the final 4:11 of action, including a pullup jumper at the foul line to put Texas up 63-55 with 1:19 left.
Texas will host Delaware State on Nov. 29.
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WASHINGTON — State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, said Friday he plans to meet with top University of Texas System officials after they announced a plan to provide free tuition and waived fees to students whose families make $100,000 or less.
While many elected officials have praised the initiative, Harrison criticized it as an “abuse of power” that makes Texas higher education “more socialist than California.”
Harrison said Friday he’s unswayed by statements from the system and supporters who say the move will be funded from university endowments, not taxpayers.
Harrison compared such statements to someone saying they’re removing water from the shallow side of a pool, not the deep end. It’s all the same water.
“Money is fungible, so that doesn’t satisfy me in the slightest,” Harrison said.
The new initiative is an expansion of the Promise Plus Program, a needs-based financial aid initiative, and comes amid widespread concerns about the impact of inflation and college costs on families. Gov. Greg Abbott recently prohibited Texas colleges and universities from raising tuition for the next two years.
UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken hailed the expansion as a “game changer” that will make “enormous, real difference” to improve college access for all Texans.
Not everyone is a fan.
Harrison and like-minded House colleagues have compared it to President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan that drew intense blowback from conservatives and was largely struck down by the courts. They also said such a consequential change in policy should come from the elected lawmakers serving in the Legislature.
“There must be consequences,” Harrison said on X. “UT’s budget must be cut, and bureaucrats should be fired.”
He led 10 Republican lawmakers, most of them incoming freshmen, in a letter to the regents demanding answers to a litany of questions, including the price tag of the expansion and the source of that money.
“What specific statutory authority did the regents rely on to make a decision this consequential, which will have direct financial consequences for our constituents, many of whom are already struggling to put gas in their tanks and food on their tables?” the lawmakers wrote.
UT System spokesman Paul Corliss has said the program is not funded through taxes or any kind of public subsidy.
“Rather it is funded through existing UT System endowments,” Corliss said.
Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, hammered that point in a response to Harrison on social media.
“There are no tax dollars involved,” Howard said on X. “Higher Ed institutions are already helping families afford college. This expands philanthropic endowments and helps meet affordability goals of [Abbott and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board].”
Harrison and his colleagues will have to contend with many members of the public embracing a plan that already is encouraging young people to adjust their higher education aspirations.
Frank Whitefeather, a high school senior, stayed up until 2:30 a.m. Friday working on his college application essay.
He was freshly motivated after the announcement that students whose families make less than $100,000 annually will get free tuition and waived fees at the University of Texas at Austin and other schools in the UT System.
“I wouldn’t be in debt,” said Whitefeather, 17. “I wouldn’t have to have student loans.”
Whitefeather, who attends Dallas ISD’s Sunset High School, thinks the UT news also could change many of his peers’ lives. It’s already changing his plans. Whitefeather hopes to study engineering and be his own boss one day. Texas A&M and UT Austin were his top two choices, but the free tuition announcement has pushed UT ahead.
Harrison said the university system is being contradictory by simultaneously saying it has enough money to offer tuition-free education, but also that a tuition freeze could leave it cash strapped and require more funding from the Legislature.
“I guarantee you they’re going to be requesting more tax money from the Legislature next session,” he said.
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