The Republican senator from Texas had threatened to withhold his vote on Trump’s ambassador nominees unless the White House unlocked the freeze on a fund meant for HIV/AIDS prevention.
Congress
Read the latest Texas Tribune coverage of Congress, from the state’s lawmakers in Washington to key legislation and political debates shaping Texas and the nation.
Posted in
Congress
Texas Republicans unite behind Iran war funding as U.S. House passes $95 billion spending package
With support from Democrats Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, the House also passed a bill Wednesday that would ban members of Congress from trading stocks and implement new voter ID requirements.
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2026 Texas Elections
Millionaires could dominate Texas’ crop of new Congress members
A Texas Tribune analysis found Texas’ incoming U.S. House delegation stands to get wealthier, with a $3.34 million median net worth among the crop of potential new members.
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2026 Texas Elections
Tracking the money raised and spent in the U.S. Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton
See the latest fundraising totals, where the money is coming from and how super PACs are spending in what’s poised to be Texas’ most expensive Senate race.
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Immigration
Trump administration revives rule that could deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits
The rule allows federal officials to deny green cards to immigrants who use a public program, such as Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers.
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Congress
North Texas Rep. Pat Fallon running to lead GOP on influential House Oversight Committee
Separately, Amarillo Rep. Ronny Jackson is considering a bid for the top Republican spot on the House Armed Services Committee in the next Congress.
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Houston ICE Shooting
Houston Democrats demand feds release footage of ICE agent fatally shooting migrant
Four members of Congress demand that ICE and Homeland Security release evidence supporting its claims that an ICE agent shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in self-defense.
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Health care
Texas’ ACA enrollment shrinks by 4% after tax credit expiration, new federal data shows
As of February, 21% of Texans who enrolled in a plan through the federal marketplace did not pay their first premium.
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Health care
Four years after Dobbs, Texas abortion-rights advocates struggle to break through in Washington
Just 2% of Texas voters call abortion the state’s most pressing problem. Advocates are reframing the issue as one of reproductive healthcare that affects families’ pocketbooks.
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Congress
Former U.S. Rep. Bill Archer dies at 98
The Houston Republican served for three decades in Congress, rising to become chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
