The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 15, 2025

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

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Howdy, folks? Today is Friday, August 15th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the Texas legislature has adjourned sine-y die before the scheduled end of the first special session, as Texas House Democrats have temporarily thwarted the Republicans, in passing their congressional redistricting map. Governor Greg Abbott called a second special session to begin immediately at 12 p.m. on Friday. Texas House Democrats left Austin almost two weeks ago, with the explicit goal of halting the mid-decade redraw. Texas House Democratic caucus chair Gene Wu said in a release on August 3rd,

quote, as of today, this corrupt special session is over. State Republicans and House Speaker Dustin Burroughs ramped up the pressure as the core break dragged on, handing out fines, launching lawsuits, and issuing civil arrest warrants for the more than 50 Democratic members that spread out across the country. Despite legal maneuvers from both the Texas House and Attorney General Ken Paxton to locate and apprehend the fleeing Democratic members, even those that remained in Texas, none were arrested. The absent Democrats said Thursday that they would return to Austin on two conditions. If the Texas House adjourned Sinai Di on Friday, and if California released its own redistricting map. Next, the second special session of the 89th legislature

kicked off almost immediately after the first one adjourned siney die with an almost identical agenda from Governor Greg Abbott. There were 97 members present when the House gabbled in for the second special at noon, leaving it without a quorum yet again. The House is set to meet again on Saturday at 10 a.m. During a meeting with Republican House members, Burroughs reportedly expressed confidence that the House will make quorum on Monday. In other news, United Fronts are hard to come by in Texas politics, particularly on the Republican side, the party which controls every statewide office, both chambers of the legislature, and a large majority of the congressional delegation. When the minority party is so powerless, the fracturing conflicts are concentrated in the party

with all the power. But with Texas Democrats' weeks-long quorum break, Republicans find themselves facing an uncanny gale of partisan solidarity, the likes of which has seldom been exhibited during the last few years. Visit the Texan. News for senior reporter Brad Johnson's breakdown of the quorum break and its consequences for Texas politics. Also, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins and Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference Friday to discuss the federal government's growing response to the impending New World Screwworm threat at the southern border. The New World Screwworms worm is a parasite that causes devastating damage, including death, to livestock such as cattle, pigs, and horses by laying eggs on the tissue of a wound, which hatch into larva and then burrow

and feed on the flesh, leading to tissue destruction and infection. In recent months, the New World Screwworm has reemerged 350 miles from the southern border, after the U.S. previously eliminated the threat domestically in the 1960s. Amid growing concern, Rollins announced a sweeping five-pronged plan in June in an effort to combat the threat. Additionally, the U.S. has shut down livestock trade along the border on multiple occasions. While addressing that the New World Screwworm threat is not on the second special call, Abbott left the door open to adding it, saying that, quote, the options are always on the table. Last but not least, Harris County's budget season fully launched Thursday with competing press conferences, at which elected officials

lobbed accusations related to pay raises for law enforcement, proposed budget cuts, and whether taxes should be increased. Prior to this week's special meeting of the Harris County Commissioner's Court, Commissioner's Adrian Garcia and Leslie Breonnaz held a press conference during which they decried misinformation about proposed budget cuts. They noted that each department had been asked to find efficiencies and asserted that the proposal would only eliminate long-vacent employee positions. Just prior to this week's meeting, county judge Lena Hidalgo held her own press conference and reiterated complaints that the court had voted for law enforcement salary increases despite the county's known budget deficit. She criticized Commissioner's refusal to put her

newly proposed tax increase on the ballot for voters to weigh in and said they were not being transparent. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.