Democrats will have to defend three seats in the region. And two of those seats could draw heated primary races, too.
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
Texas Legislature 2021
After Atlanta and Colorado mass shootings, Texas GOP leaders double down on protecting gun owners
Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday there is an even greater urgency this legislative session to pass laws expanding gun rights because of Joe Biden’s presidency.
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Winter Storm 2021
U.S. House committee holds hearing on Texas’ massive power outages during deadly winter storm
At least 57 people died during the winter storm that plunged much of Texas into subfreezing temperatures and caused widespread power outages for days.
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Politics
U.S. Rep Chip Roy rebuked after using hearing on violence against Asian Americans to attack China over coronavirus
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee held the hearing to discuss discrimination just two days after police say a white man went on a shooting rampage targeting Asian women in Atlanta.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
The people we left behind: How closing a dangerous border camp adds to inequities
The Biden administration shuttered a migrant tent camp in Mexico that was created under a Trump policy. Immigration advocates praised the move, but the closure adds to growing confusion over which migrants are let in or left out.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Analysis: Government budgets looked terrible when COVID-19 started. A federal windfall has flipped the outlook.
Texas lawmakers expected to be sweating over a very tight budget right now, after strong early signs that the pandemic would stall the economy. But an improved economy and a huge infusion of federal aid is erasing those fears.
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Health care
Judge rejects bid by Planned Parenthood to stay in Medicaid, affecting health service for thousands of low-income Texans
Health officials had told Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid patients they had until early February to find new doctors, but the health provider filed an emergency lawsuit saying the state had not followed the proper procedures.
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Economy
Senate passes Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill
The Senate approved the relief plan on Saturday after roughly 24 hours of debate. The bill includes $1,400 stimulus checks for millions of Americans, as well as an additional $300-per-week in unemployment payments until early September.
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Congress
23 candidates join the race to replace late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright
The field for the May 1 special election features 11 Republicans, 10 Democrats, one independent and one Libertarian.
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Winter Storm 2021
U.S. House Oversight Committee investigating operator of Texas’ power grid
A subcommittee chair wrote in a letter to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas that the grid’s failures were “costly” and disproportionately affected low-income communities and communities of color.
