Texas Politics

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D) introduced the Empower Energy Exporting Communities Act, legislation that would establish a trust fund for infrastructure and public services in communities near major oil and gas export ports. The proposed Oil & Gas Community Trust Fund would be financed through 3% of corporate income tax revenues received from oil and gas companies. Gonzalez's office said the measure would not create a new tax, instead directing existing federal revenue toward eligible communities.

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) secured a settlement requiring Sprouts Farmers Market to stop using ProduceMaxx on produce nationwide, including synthetic antimicrobial treatments on organic produce. Sprouts has agreed to stop spraying ProduceMaxx on all produce, including conventional and non-organic produce, across its stores nationwide. The company will also stop using ProduceMaxx or other synthetic antimicrobial pesticides on organic produce through misting or other treatments.

Representatives Christian Menefee (D), Troy A. Carter (D-LA), LaMonica Mclver (D-NJ), and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) reintroduced legislation creating a National Science Foundation grant program to strengthen research capacity at under-resourced colleges and universities. The Equity in Research Act would establish a dedicated NSF grant program for institutions that have historically faced barriers to accessing federal research resources.

Representative Chip Roy (R) highlighted the Department of Homeland Security's confirmation of a $7.5 billion reimbursement to Texas for border security costs, saying the funding follows efforts by Texas lawmakers to secure federal compensation. "When the Biden-Harris Administration unleashed the worst border crisis in recent history, the state of Texas stepped up to fulfill what should have been the federal government's most basic duty," said Roy.

President Donald Trump said last week he was banning CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW from the White House, prompting several TV networks to pause its live coverage in protest. On Friday, President Trump announced on Truth Social he was “banning Fake News CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.” At a press conference later that day in the Oval Office, the president did not provide further details on what the ban would look like.

With the cost of living top of mind for many voters, lawmakers are continuing to weigh how to increase health care affordability while protecting access to care.

Lawmakers are calling for more aviation safety from aerial drones, warning that foreign terrorist threats are evolving at a rapid pace, quicker than the U.S. military can adapt. As the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks took place this month, Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ronny Jackson (R-TX) are moving to implement stronger security measures to address emerging threats. “The threat was aviation then,” Rep. McCaul said in a House Committee hearing last week.

AG Ken Paxton: "James Talarico is lying to Texans. His “home” church harbors illegals, hangs a trans flag over the cross, and a minister there says most members are atheist." Rep. Jasmine Crockett: "DC’s biggest bully just kicked out CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from covering the White House. The First Amendment protects all journalists — not just the ones who tell the President what he wants to hear. This is what authoritarianism looks like." Rep.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Communism, President Donald Trump says, is the greatest threat the U.S. has ever faced. This summer, citing similarly grave concerns, he took the rare step of delivering a primetime address to the nation, accusing China of “sinister election meddling” in 2020 and reviving his yearslong push to dispute his loss in that year's election.

Last week, it was reported that the U.S. Department of Justice is allegedly weighing whether to formally intervene in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s multi-state antitrust lawsuit against BlackRock Inc., and State Street Corp. According to sources familiar with the matter, senior Justice Department officials have held discussions in recent weeks with state attorneys general about the possibility of joining the lawsuit, but no final decision has been made.