It’s time for the week that was in Texas politics with Patrick Svitek, a reporter at the Texas Tribune.
The government shutdown came and went pretty quickly, but the spending bill signed on Monday will expire on February 8.
Svitek says there are plenty of negotiations ahead before a real resolution is possible.
“There’s obviously disagreement within just the Republican conference, including Senator [Ted] Cruz there, about how far to go in providing relief for DACA recipients and for some of these people who are in the country illegally,” he says. “And there’s also going to be a vigorous debate about what kind of border security you get in return for that DACA fix.”
This week, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush started to walk back comments he made regarding Harvey relief.
“We’ve seen pressure build on the governor to call a special session to tap the Rainy Day Fund,” Svitek says. “The governor said a special session won’t be necessary – we can use the Rainy Day fund during the next regular session to backfill some of the expenses incurred due to Harvey.”
Since his comments were published, Bush changed his mind.
“George P. probably got a stern talking to from the governor’s office,” Svitkek says.
We’re also learning this week that Cecile Richards is stepping down as president of Planned Parenthood.
“I don’t know how surprising it is given that it’s been a tough ride for her in some ways,” Svitek says. “I think the question now is what she’s going to do next.”
Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.
