The Texas State Senate and House unveiled their proposed 2026-2027 state budgets on Wednesday, neither of which include funding for the higher education institutional enhancement fund which provided the state's universities with $423 million worth of funding in the past two years.

The exchange drew rapid backlash from GOP state leaders including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows.

The topic was a budget request from a state agency. The exchange grew emotional when a lawmaker pressed for answers about a strategic plan that praises diversity.

Several of Texas’ top Republicans are defending Gov. Greg Abbott’s pick to head the state’s water agency following pointed questions from a GOP lawmaker over the agency’s diversity hiring policies.

A usually mundane House Appropriations Committee hearing became tense as a Republican lawmaker probed members of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), including two Black officials, about their hiring practices and accusing them of discrimination.

At a conservative gathering in Austin, House Speaker Dustin Burrows applauded the Texas House’s “two-step solution” on school finance, choice.

Burrows has heard on social media about the need to pass school choice in Texas from some of the biggest names on the planet, including President Trump and Elon Musk. He got the message. "I'm proud to say the votes are there to do this in the Texas House," Burrows said in San Antonio earlier this week at a school choice event.

"I'm proud to say the votes are there to do this in the Texas House," said Speaker Dustin Burrows, echoing comments he made to the American-Statesman earlier this month after the Senate passed its ...

Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows today announced his support of priority legislation to provide new property tax relief to Texas home and business owners. House Bill 8