INSIDER
Craig Goldman wins GOP runoff in outgoing U.S. Rep. Kay Granger’s district
Read full article: Craig Goldman wins GOP runoff in outgoing U.S. Rep. Kay Granger’s districtThe high-stakes race pitted an established Republican lawmaker against a right-wing candidate who had Attorney General Ken Paxton’s backing.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Texas primary runoffs
Read full article: AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Texas primary runoffsTexas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are looking to settle political scores within their own party in the upcoming primary runoff elections, in which voters will decide nearly three dozen unresolved races from the state’s March 5 primary.
Jim Jordan is out. Here are the three Texas Republicans who helped keep him from the speaker’s gavel.
Read full article: Jim Jordan is out. Here are the three Texas Republicans who helped keep him from the speaker’s gavel.Reps. Kay Granger, Tony Gonzales and Jake Ellzey were firm in their opposition to Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan.
Texas’ three GOP holdouts vote against Jim Jordan for third time
Read full article: Texas’ three GOP holdouts vote against Jim Jordan for third timeU.S. Reps. Kay Granger of Fort Worth, Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and Jake Ellzey of Midlothian were among 22 other Republicans and all Democrats voting against Jordan in a third attempt at electing a new speaker this week.
Texas Republicans oppose a temporary speaker as U.S. House struggles to find leadership
Read full article: Texas Republicans oppose a temporary speaker as U.S. House struggles to find leadershipThe move would let the House act on legislation amid the Israel-Hamas war and other priorities, but several Texans recoiled at the idea, saying it would hand power to Democrats and break trust with supporters.
Three Texas Republicans stand firm against Jim Jordan in second House speaker vote
Read full article: Three Texas Republicans stand firm against Jim Jordan in second House speaker voteJordan remained 18 votes away from becoming House speaker during a vote Wednesday. Meanwhile, activists in Texas are pressuring Republicans to fall in line behind Jordan’s effort.
Three Texas Republicans help block Jim Jordan from becoming U.S. House speaker in first vote
Read full article: Three Texas Republicans help block Jim Jordan from becoming U.S. House speaker in first voteReps. Jake Ellzey, Kay Granger and Tony Gonzales joined 17 other House Republicans to block the Ohio Republican from the gavel.
With new federal food stamp limits coming, advocates mobilize to inform Texas recipients
Read full article: With new federal food stamp limits coming, advocates mobilize to inform Texas recipientsA requirement to work 80 hours a month, starting in September, could affect 44,000 Texans over age 49. Meanwhile, attention in Congress shifts to the farm bill’s significant impact on food stamp policy.
In post-Roe era, House Republicans begin quiet push for new restrictions on abortion access
Read full article: In post-Roe era, House Republicans begin quiet push for new restrictions on abortion accessHouse Republicans are pushing new restrictions on abortion access and trying to build on the work of activists whose strategy successfully elevated the abortion fight to the Supreme Court.
Government shutdown warnings rise as Republicans seek deeper cuts in budget battle
Read full article: Government shutdown warnings rise as Republicans seek deeper cuts in budget battleHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid to appease hard-liners in his caucus and get the House moving again has some Democratic worried about the road ahead when it comes time to passing legislation to keep the government running.
In U.S. House, the far right gains a powerful spending-cuts ally in Texas Republican Kay Granger
Read full article: In U.S. House, the far right gains a powerful spending-cuts ally in Texas Republican Kay GrangerThe chair of the House Appropriations Committee vows to hold spending bills to 2022 levels to counter “years of out-of-control spending.”
Texas defense hawks urge Congress away from military funding cuts to raise the debt ceiling
Read full article: Texas defense hawks urge Congress away from military funding cuts to raise the debt ceilingTexas Republicans in the U.S. House are working with their divided party to eke out a path forward on raising the debt limit.
More Texans give away campaign donations from Sam Bankman-Fried and other FTX affiliates
Read full article: More Texans give away campaign donations from Sam Bankman-Fried and other FTX affiliatesIn November, The Texas Tribune reported that Beto O’Rourke had given back a $1 million donation that Bankman-Fried had donated to his campaign.
As federal earmarks return, most Texas Republicans abstained from bringing home the bacon
Read full article: As federal earmarks return, most Texas Republicans abstained from bringing home the baconSeveral Republicans abstained from requesting earmarks in the budgeting process, citing concerns about ethics and wasteful spending.
Texas congressman Kevin Brady says he’s tested positive for COVID-19
Read full article: Texas congressman Kevin Brady says he’s tested positive for COVID-19U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, has tested positive for the coronavirus, he said on Twitter on Tuesday evening. Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, a high-ranking member of Texas’ congressional delegation, tested positive for the coronavirus. The first statewide elected official to publicly confirm a positive coronavirus test was Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann in May. Other state lawmakers, including Rep. Tony Tinderholt, Sen. Kel Seliger and outgoing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen have tested positive. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also tested positive in early December.
Texas on brink of record 13K in hospitals as virus surges
Read full article: Texas on brink of record 13K in hospitals as virus surgesFORT WORTH, Texas – Texas was on the brink Monday of surpassing a record 13,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as the number of new cases after the Christmas holiday continued surging, including Rep. Kay Granger, who said she tested positive upon returning to Washington for the new Congress. She had been scheduled to receive the second dose Wednesday but will now wait until she is through quarantining, said Michelle Koepp, a spokeswoman for Granger. People are expected to get some level of protection within a couple of weeks after the first shot, but full protection may not happen until a couple of weeks after the second shot. Texas has set new highs for hospitalized COVID-19 patients seven times in the past eight days. Nearly 16,000 new cases were reported Monday, and along the U.S- Mexico border, the small Texas city of Roma announced that longtime Police Chief Jose Garcia had died after contracting COVID-19.
Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger tests positive for coronavirus
Read full article: Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger tests positive for coronavirusU.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, a high-ranking member of Texas’ congressional delegation, has tested positive for the coronavirus, her office announced Monday afternoon. Granger tested positive for the respiratory disease after arriving in Washington, D.C. and is “asymptomatic and feeling great,” her office said in a statement. The first statewide elected official to publicly confirm a positive coronavirus test was Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann in May. Other state lawmakers, including Rep. Tony Tinderholt, Sen. Kel Seliger and outgoing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen have tested positive. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also tested positive in early December.
Arizona congressman tests positive for virus; 2nd this week
Read full article: Arizona congressman tests positive for virus; 2nd this week(Bonnie Cash/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee said Saturday he tested positive for the coronavirus days after he sat close to another member of the panel, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, who also tested positive. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said in a statement that he has the virus but, like Gohmert, has no symptoms. He is at least the 11th member of Congress known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Grijalva went into isolation after Gohmert tested positive on Wednesday, since the two had sat close to each other at a Natural Resources hearing the day before. The White House tests anyone who will be in close proximity to the president, which is how Gohmert found out he had the virus.
Despite COVID crisis, Congress seeks to do its day job
Read full article: Despite COVID crisis, Congress seeks to do its day jobOn Friday, the House passed a $259 billion funding bill for foreign aid and the Interior, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs departments along party lines. The measure is the first annual spending measure to pass either the House or Senate this year, but it has scant chance of becoming law, serving instead as a springboard for negotiations down the line. And if Trump loses the election, Democrats are likely to wait until the Biden administration is in place before wrapping up the annual bills, which fund the annual operations of federal Cabinet agencies. The Senate Appropriations panel canceled plans for drafting its 12 annual bills after Democrats served notice they would offer amendments on COVID relief and policing reform that Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., deemed too politically troublesome. As a result, Congress is likely to return to Washington in September to handle a stopgap funding bill that would last until December to prevent a campaign season government shutdown.
In two of Texas' hottest primaries, it's congressional clout versus ideological purity
Read full article: In two of Texas' hottest primaries, it's congressional clout versus ideological purityWORTH – U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, is the leading Republican on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Whether these districts’ voters opt to keep them in office or throw out their seniority, favoring ideological purity over congressional clout, will have sweeping consequences for Texans across the state. They are two of the four Texans on the House Appropriations Committee, arguably the most exclusive committee in all of Congress. Senior members who chair subcommittees are known around the Hill as “cardinals,” a title which Cuellar is close to achieving. If Granger and Cuellar find trouble on Tuesday night, incumbents in states to come will likely be on edge.