The Texas House, under the leadership of newly elected Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), has not only appointed a Democrat, Joe Moody of El Paso, as Speaker Pro Tempore but has also handed over the leadership of half of the chamber’s newly created subcommittees to Democrats.
This decision comes despite a clear Republican majority in the House.
Texas is a solid red conservative state that went to Trump in 2024 by 14 points!
Thanks to the disgraceful support from 36 supposed Republicans and 49 Democrats, he managed to cling to his position. Now, he’s repaying his Democrat cronies by handing them significant roles in the legislative process.
Burrows faced a challenge from the true conservative, state Rep. David Cook, who promised to stop the Democrat overreach by preventing them from chairing House committees.
But in a move that screams of backroom deals and political cowardice, the RINOs in the party sabotaged Cook’s valiant effort. Cook only managed to secure 55 votes in the final round. This betrayal is a slap in the face to every voter who believed in a Republican-led House.
Burrows’ committee assignments, announced on Thursday, were supposed to reflect the GOP’s dominance in the chamber.
However, his decision to allow Democrats to chair six of the twelve new subcommittees is nothing short of handing over critical legislative power to the opposition.
This includes key areas like defense and veterans affairs, family law, telecommunications, transportation, and property tax appraisals, according to Texas Tribune.
In his statement, Burrows claims these appointments were made to leverage lawmakers’ expertise for the chamber’s goals.
“Assigning members to committees is among the most significant and intricate responsibilities of the Speaker — one that demands thoughtful consideration and a delicate balance of many factors,” Burrows said in a statement.
“Taking the time to get this right was not just necessary — it is what Texans deserve of their government, and I am confident these appointments will position the House for a productive, successful session,” he added.
More from Texas Tribune:
Democrats largely backed Burrows’ rise to the speaker’s dais with the understanding that he would continue the House’s tradition of power sharing with the minority party, even if the Republican majority in the chamber voted to ban Democratic chairs. Under his committee appointments, Democrats will chair six of the 12 standing subcommittees created by the new rules.
All those positions went to veteran Democrats who had led committees before and have legislative experience in the relevant field. Rep. Phillip Cortez of San Antonio will lead a subcommittee on defense and veterans affairs, Rep. Harold Dutton of Houston will lead one on family law, Rep. Rafael Anchía of Dallas will head a subcommittee on telecommunications, Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg will lead a transportation subcommittee and Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie will lead a panel on property tax appraisals.
Democrats were appointed as vice chairs to all 30 standing committees, in keeping with the new rules.
Some have interpreted the new rules to expand the power of vice chairs by allowing them to request witnesses and hearings on bills or topics.
Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, the Texas House Democratic Caucus leader, seemed pleased with how his party fared.
“Today’s committee assignments by Speaker Burrows demonstrate a commitment to bipartisanship and upholding the institutional norms of the Texas House of Representatives,” he said in a statement. “These appointments position Democrats to effectively advocate for communities across our state.”
This is the same Republican-controlled House that voted a resolution to impeach Ken Paxton on unfounded charges.
In May 2023, the Republican-led Texas House impeached highly popular Attorney General Ken Paxton over allegations of misconduct. The 20 articles include “bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.”
Last September Texas Senators acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment.
Texas RINOs, including Bush and Rove allies, wanted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gone so they made up some accusations against him without evidence in an attempt to impeach him.
