This year, the Texas Legislature’s 140-day session lined up almost exactly with the Trump administration’s first stretch. Texas legislators gaveled in January 14, and six days later, Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. president.
Republicans at the national and state level have described Trump’s win as a mandate from the American people: to crack down on immigration on the southern border and to wage war on DEI. The Texas GOP answered those calls with a slew of right-wing legislation.
But the Trump administration also brought massive federal cuts that blew holes in Texas industries and operations. While consequential funding losses dominated national headlines, Texas legislators largely averted their eyes from the elephant in the room. How will Texas’ agricultural sector fare, with the loss of tens of millions from USDA programs? What about already-struggling rural hospitals that rely on Medicaid to pay for treatments for poor patients? How will universities like UT-Austin attract and retain researchers after losing $50 million in research funding? What about Texas’ energy industry – dominated by oil, but also leading the way in solar – now that the Trump administration has cut solar spending and canceled a $3 billion loan guarantee with a massive solar startup in Houston?
These new funding gaps are ones the Legislature didn’t really attempt to fill. Though they budgeted more money for public schools, and a multibillion-dollar injection into the state’s water infrastructure, and tried to fill the gap in SNAP funding cuts to feed kids in the summer, much of the session focused on the racial and cultural issues that animated many Trump voters. High-profile bills sent to the governor include a DEI ban in public schools, restrictions on foreigners owning land, and a law to compel local law enforcement to help with deportations.
This article appears in June 6 • 2025.
