In this week’s TribCast, Ross, Elise, Ben and Reeve discuss budget numbers, Senate rules, the U.S. Senate race and the inaugural buzz heard around Austin.
Texas congressional delegation
TribBlog: Cruz-ing Into the Senate Race
Ted Cruz, who served as Texas Solicitor General from 2003 to 2008, is the latest to officially throw in for the race to replace GOP U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
2012: H.W. Bush Backs Roger Williams
The race to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison may only be days old, but at least one candidate in the crowded field is already pulling out the big guns.
Dewhurst: I’ve Got My Plate Full
Minutes after learning of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s decision not to seek re-election, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst demurred when asked whether he would run for her seat.
Hammer, Nailed
In what may be a hollow victory for his opponents still grappling with his skillful 2003 redrawing of the stateโs political maps, former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, was sentenced Monday to three years in prison.
TribBlog: Three Years For DeLay
A judge has sentenced former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, to three years in prison.
Silvestre Reyes: The TT Interview
The Democratic congressman from El Paso on what life will be like with the Republicans in control of the U.S. House, why the information released by WikiLeaks shouldn’t be public, whether we should be sending troops to Mexico and why Gov. Rick Perry talks so much about spillover violence.
Lamar Smith on the New Congress
The 112th Congress will convene Wednesday with new faces at the helm of a number House committees. Jennifer Stayton of KUT News talked with U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, who will take over as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, about the issues on which he expects to find bipartisan support, the assertion that Americans won’t work certain jobs and why he supports a repeal of the new health care law.
National Treasure
Texas lawmakers have vowed to cut their way to a balanced budget, in the face of a shortfall that could be as high as $25 billion. But their task pales compared to the federal government, which ran a deficit of almost $ 1.3 trillion last fiscal year. As KUTโs Matt Largey reports, a lot’s at stake for Austin when the next Congress gets down to business on the next federal budget.
Congressional Clout
For the seventh consecutive decade, Texas will gain seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the decennial apportionment process, which means extra clout after the 2012 elections. With Republicans in control of redrawing the state’s congressional districts โ and adding the four new seats โ they stand to benefit the most.

