The latest Congress news from The Texas Tribune.
During a legislative session focused on schools and taxes, Texas lawmakers did little to prepare for the possibility that Obamacare will be struck down in its entirety — even as the state leads the charge to have the law declared unconstitutional. Full Story
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More than a dozen U.S. House members visited migrant detention centers in Texas on Monday on the heels of a report revealing current and former Border Patrol agents joking on Facebook about throwing burritos at the visiting officials. Full Story
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A bill filed Friday by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, would allow Border Patrol to accept donations from those wanting to give to children at stations in Texas. Full Story
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Democratic leadership in the House signed onto the GOP-led Senate's proposal Thursday after a fight over what should be included in the bill. Full Story
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Every Texas Democrat voted in support of the the $4.5 billion humanitarian aid package, which includes provisions to help migrant children. U.S. Rep. Will Hurd was the only Texas Republican to buck his party and support the measure. Full Story
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Republicans say the postponement will be successful at bringing Democrats to the negotiating table. But Democrats say the president is making people pawns in a political game. Full Story
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The Texan is hoping to leverage a life of elite baseball experience to propel his squad past its vaunted Democratic rivals. Full Story
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A three-judge panel questioned whether government lawyers sincerely believed they could describe the temporary detention facilities as “safe and sanitary.” Full Story
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The Houston Democrat's bill calls for a commission to “study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans,” and consider a national apology by the government. Full Story
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More than half of the state's voters think President Donald Trump is doing a good job, but they're not as pleased with some of his character traits, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Patrick, Abby, Jay and Jolie about a potential Wendy Davis-Chip Roy matchup, big city mayoral runoffs, civil asset forfeiture and Beto O'Rourke's role in a contentious El Paso redevelopment plan. Full Story
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We also asked the 38 members of the Texas delegation how Congress should respond to the Mueller report. Full Story
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The bill includes a provision aimed at forcing the federal government to release more than $4 billion to Texas that Congress allocated to the state more than a year ago. Full Story
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The conservative Texan and liberal New Yorker agreed over Twitter to partner up on a bill banning members of Congress from becoming corporate lobbyists after they leave office. Full Story
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All but one of Texas' six U.S. House contests that national Democrats are targeting will feature candidates who ran last time. Full Story
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Texas, Puerto Rico and other communities hit by major natural disasters have been waiting for over a year to receive their shares of $16 billion in grant funding approved by Congress. Full Story
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Responsible for providing population projections for the state, Lloyd Potter said citizenship information is not needed “for the purposes of the census." Full Story
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Hegar, who drew national attention last year with a viral campaign ad, is the most high-profile Democrat in the race. But others are weighing whether to jump in after Castro decided to bow out. Full Story
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On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Ayan, Aman and Matthew about the Legislature's progress on property taxes and school finance reform, the state’s decision to end a botched voter citizenship review and the fate of marijuana decriminalization in the Texas Senate. Full Story
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On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Patrick and Jolie about the Legislature’s progress — or lack thereof — as we cruise into the last month of the session, former congressional candidate MJ Hegar’s bid for John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat and a Texas mental health program meant to help prisoners avoid solitary confinement. Full Story
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