Politics
Border Residents Roast Plans For Trump’s Wall in Congressional Committee Now Led by Democrat
One Casualty of the Government Shutdown: Low-Income Texans Who Need Housing Assistance
Texas is a super-user of federal housing programs, but the shutdown has brought loans, tax credits and rental assistance to a screeching halt, hurting poor Texans the most.
The heating and cooling units inside Sandstone Foothills Apartments, which houses low-income seniors in Mineral Wells, need to be replaced and the aging elevato...Read More
Abbott, Patrick, Bonnen Quietly Vote to Remove Slavery-Denying Plaque from Texas Capitol
“The reality is that plaque never should have gone up in the state Capitol in the first place, and it shouldn’t have taken 60 years to take it down,” state Representative Eric Johnson said.
Since the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville a year and a half ago, Texas officials have faced increasing demands to purge the statehouse of a plaque...Read More
Trump’s Border Wall is a Vortex of Stupidity that Trump and the GOP Can’t Escape
The Wall started as an applause line at Trump’s campaign rallies, and has morphed into one of the dumbest policy debates in the history of American politics.
“This is the stupidest day in American history,” wrote Matt Christman during the Donald’s inauguration, “a record that will be broken by every subsequen...Read More
The Texas GOP May Actually Get Serious about Real Problems During this Legislature
On the heels of a miniature suburban revolt in the midterms, it seems unlikely that Dan Patrick and friends will be able to hijack the session again.
So: The world’s finest deliberative body convened in Austin on Tuesday, and by early summer, if God’s grace once more falls upon this benighted state, the T...Read More
The Border Fence vs. Wall Debate is a ‘Trap’ for Democrats
“Steel slats, concrete barriers, or bollard-style fences – they are all the same,” said a McAllen congressman. “I will not stand by as some of my fellow Democrats fall into this trap.”
During a Monday interview with “Fox and Friends,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons claimed to see light at the end of the government shutdown tunnel. In recen...Read More
As One of the Eleven New Women in the Texas House, We Must Take Sexual Misconduct Seriously
The House has an opportunity to lead the way in creating an environment of accountability and respect in the Capitol and all workplaces across Texas.
On Tuesday, the Texas House will reconvene for our first session since the “Me Too” movement brought the pervasive and persistent sexual misconduct that so ...Read More
Texas Has Plenty of Money, But Will Lawmakers Use it to Fix Their Years of Negligence?
State Comptroller Glenn Hegar released his revenue estimate for the 2020-2021 biennium. The upshot is: There’s money to spend, if the Legislature is willing.
Things appear to be going swimmingly for those hoping that Texas legislators will finally address two of the state’s most intractable, intertwined problems: a...Read More
The Texas Observer’s Best Features of 2018
Our favorite longreads of the year.
The Texas Observer’s Best Features of 2018 Our favorite longreads of the year. – by Rose Cahalan and Forrest Wilder December 26, 2018 Like children, it...Read More
Six Stories About Rural Texas You Should Read Before 2018 Ends
From the shuttering of Dairy Queens, driver's license offices and rural hospitals across the state to an only-in-Texas alligator tale, you may have missed this great reporting.
I understand if the wild and weird news cycle of 2018 has got your head spinning. This rollercoaster ride of state and national politics has some reporters near...Read More