Thirty new GOP lawmakers took office this year, promising their constituents they’d cut the fat out of government. As the House prepares to vote on a slew of budget bills on Thursday and Friday, this freshman bloc is showing some clout. Many have vowed to not spend the remaining Rainy Day funds to close the next biennium’s budget gap. Now that they’re off the campaign trail and inside the Capitol, has their perspective changed? The Texas Tribune interviews Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Terrell, Rep. Raul Torres, R-Corpus Christi, and Rep. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock. 

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Justin Dehn was a multimedia producer, focusing on video and audio production, from 2010 to 2023. He’s been shooting and producing news for more than two decades. Justin has been behind the camera for...

Thanh Tan was a multimedia reporter/producer for the Tribune from 2011 to 2012. She previously worked at Idaho Public Television, a PBS station that serves a statewide audience. While there, she was an...