Time for the week that was in Texas politics with Emily Ramshaw, editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune.
With the special session of the Texas Legislature set to kick off next Ruesday, observers are wondering how long it will last, and which of the 20 items in Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the session will be taken up.
Ramshaw says the governor has prioritized the must-pass sunset safety net bill, telling lawmakers that if they pass it, he will open the session up to the other items on his list.
“I imagine we’ll get that sunset bill moving pretty fast, so we can get to the other business at hand,” Ramshaw says.
School vouchers for special needs children, local control issues and the so-called “bathroom bill” are among the items lawmakers are expected to tackle.
U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso), who is running for the Senate seat occupied by Sen. Ted Cruz, announced impressive fundraising numbers. O’Rourke raised more than $1.5 million in the current reporting period, beating Cruz’s total. But Cruz has $5 million in the bank, giving him a substantial advantage over O’Rourke in terms of cash-on-hand.
Another Texas Congressman, Republican Bill Flores, made news this week for comments about the role President Donald Trump’s family plays in his administration.
“His comments… were basically, ‘Trump needs to get his kids out of the way – get them out of the White House,” Ramshaw says.
Though Flores is a staunch conservative, Ramshaw says, he feels Trump’s children’s high profile and various controversies surrounding them are a distraction from his work as president.
Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.
