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Good morning,

Yesterday, we asked readers if they thought Texas would still need to invest in border security measures. The survey results are below.

This is the last Texas Minute... of 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 

UPFRONT: A typo in yesterday's Texas Minute created some confusion; the Lone Star State has 254 counties. I apologize for the error!

Paxton Push Blocks Biden from Auctioning Border Wall Materials

• Attorney General Ken Paxton has successfully blocked the Biden administration from disposing of border wall materials. Emily Medeiros has the story.
       
• Earlier this month, reports from The Daily Wire revealed that the Biden administration was attempting to auction off up to half a mile of border wall per day, with bids starting at $5. This came on the heels of a previous Paxton legal victory in which federal courts ordered the Biden administration to stop siphoning off statutorily obligated funds on border wall construction and use the money as intended.
     
• With this latest scheme revealed, Paxton quickly moved to intervene. He has now forced the Biden administration to agree to an order preventing the disposal of any more border wall materials over the next 30 days.
       
• The attorney general said his office will hold Biden "accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda."

Related News

• Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente announced the app would officially launch in January, ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration. It will allow users to send an alert notification to either a previously chosen relative or one of Mexico's 53 local consulates.

Texas on Track to Crack Down on CCP Influence

• Over the past few years, Chinese interference in Texas has come to light on multiple fronts, especially regarding the purchase of state land and the state’s power grid. Will Biagini has an update. 
     
• Chinese investors have acquired 383,935 acres of land in the United States—much of it located in Texas and in close proximity to sensitive military installations. According to former U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, China is more of an adversary than a competitor.
      
• State Rep. David Spiller (R-Jacksboro) has filed two measures in the Texas House aimed at protecting state land from purchase by China and other hostile nations. One of those would empower the attorney general to acquire via “eminent domain” property purchased by certain foreign entities.

• Through a recent series of executive orders, Gov. Greg Abbott has begun cracking down on Chinese influence in Texas. “China has made it clear that they can—and will—target and attack America’s critical infrastructure.”

Texas Medical Board Director Works for Planned Parenthood

• A new document from a recent legal filing shows that the Texas Medical Board’s medical director currently works for Planned Parenthood. The document was revealed as part of the ongoing case the TMB is bringing against Houston’s Dr. Mary Talley Bowden.
       
• TMB Medical Director Robert Bredt has worked for Planned Parenthood of South Texas since 2011. Taxpayers are currently paying Bredt $185,000 annually for his TMB work. 
       
• TMB members are appointed by the Texas governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate for a six-year term. While Bredt’s position is not a gubernatorial appointment, his employment is overseen by the governor’s appointees. 

NOTE...

The Texas Minute will resume on Friday, January 3, 2025.

Due to 2024 Elections, School Choice Plans Gain Energy in 2025

• With mass turnover in the Republican primary in favor of pro-school choice candidates, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s plan to prioritize education freedom in 2025 may face less pushback. Valerie Muñoz has the details.
      
• In 2023, the Republican-majority House rejected school choice each time it was brought to the floor for a vote by a minority of Republicans joining with Democrats to block Abbott's plans. The 2024 primaries were, in part, a referendum on those votes. More than a dozen school-choice opponents were defeated by Abbott-backed candidates.
        
• “Since 2015, the Senate has passed school choice five times. It died in a Republican-controlled House each time. That is unacceptable and inexcusable.” – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
      
• Ahead of the legislative session, State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) filed a measure that would allow “state funds to follow students to the educational institutions that best meet their needs.”

A Year of Controversy and Scrutiny for the Texas Lottery

• The Texas Lottery Commission has been playing fast and loose with the rules, and it caught up to the agency in 2024. Daniel Greer looks at what could be in store for the commission in 2025.
      
• While lawmakers have made it clear since the lottery was started in the 1990s that it was limited to in-person sales, the commission has been working to thwart the law. Under the pretense of the 2020 COVID pandemic, the Lottery Commission violated legislative intent and its long-standing precedent by changing its rules to allow third parties to sell lottery tickets online.
      
• That rule change led to an international gambling syndicate rigging a jackpot in 2023 with the active help of the Texas Lottery.
       
• Analysis of the Lottery’s fiscal performance revealed that despite generating $8 billion in annual revenue, only $2 billion was distributed to education and veteran services. This contribution amounts to just 3 percent of total education funding, falling far short of the promises made when the lottery was established in the early 1990s that it would fund education.

Meet the Freshmen

Matt Morgan (R-Richmond)

• In defeating incumbent State Rep. Jacey Jetton in the Republican primary, Matt Morgan said his campaign was driven by a desire to faithfully represent the will of his constituents and ensure their voices are heard in Austin. Brandon Waltens profiles this incoming member of the new legislature.
     
• As Morgan transitions into office, he has emphasized the importance of accessibility and accountability. On issues, he said his focus will be on border security, property tax relief, government spending, and insurance reform.
      
• “I want to be accessible to the people whose vote I’m taking. It’s not my vote; it’s their vote.” – Matt Morgan

Each year, the Conservative Leader Award recognizes the men and women of the grassroots who work to make the Lone Star State shine brighter than ever. The award recipients are nominated by their peers—those who have seen them step up as citizen leaders in their neighborhoods and communities. Each honoree is presented with an engraved cavalry sword.

Here are the 2024 Conservative Leader Award recipients:

⚔️ Shilo Platts

Quote-Unquote

"I don't want to impugn the motives of my colleagues, but my attitude is, speaking just for me, you either believe in border security or you don't."

– Sen. John Kennedy​ (R-LA)

Y'All Answered

With the new Trump administration and a GOP-controlled Congress taking over the federal government in January, we asked readers if Texas should abandon its border security efforts in anticipation of the federal government stepping up.

The response was heavily lopsided: 96.4 percent of readers said Texas "must protect ourselves," while 3.6 percent are confident "the feds will handle it."

Here is a sampling of the responses we received from folks who answered the survey...

• “We have seen that the Federal Government can change on a dime. Texas needs to be strong, and remain independent enough to provide for our own safety!” – Mitch Isaak
      

• “We have seen how much damage can be done in four years, Let us prepare NOW to never experience that again.” – Pamela Millisor
      

• “Texas could abandon the wall efforts, yes, but it should not. Texas needs to operate as if the federal government could collapse at any moment. Because it could.” – Chris Breaux
      

• “Although I chose yes, Texas must remain ever watchful regarding Federal involvement in protecting our border.” – Molly Choate
      

• “Conservatives have great hope in the incoming new national administration, but if history has taught us anything, it is that, as Texans, only we can truly know, understand and trust the direction Texas needs to go.” – DeeDee Winter
      

• “Yes, the Trump administration has previously shown it is serious in dealing with border security. And, with Tom Hohman in charge, I have no doubts the issue is being properly addressed. Texas has many other critical issues to work on: school choice, eliminate property taxes, safe elections, banning DEI, etc.” – Francisco Coreno
     

• “We should continue to lead and actively cooperate to secure our borders and our interior. Many hands make light work. We will speed the construction and implementation of this vital new system and infrastructure, and build goodwill. There is no downside.” – Don Montgomery
      

• “President Trump has a lot of work to do in a whole bunch of areas, and while border security is one of his top priorities, I don't think we can reduce our efforts yet.” – Cindy Armstrong
      

• “Regarding the border situation, it would be naïve to think that we would have what we want without having to do anything about it. Just one administration means very little. We have to see to it that our needs are met in the long run.” – Duwain Corbell
       

• “Now is not the time for complacency. It's all hands on deck until everything is in place. That's not going to happen on January 21,2025.” – Michelle Lantz 
      

• “We must never rely on the federal government to protect Texans.” – Thomas Bazan
      

• “Although I am certain Trump will make monumental efforts to secure the border, Texas continuing efforts will serve to work with his efforts and the border will become more secure faster.” – Roger Taylor 
      

• “Knowing how slow the wheels of progress turn in Washington, Texas cannot let our guard down at the border. We must keep up the pressure.” – Giselle Doss
       

• “Just because the constable begins patrols in my neighborhood does not mean I should leave my doors unlocked.” – Arthur Potter
       

• “It's going to take a lot of effort to clean up the border.” – Nancy Burrus
       

• “While I am hopeful that a Republican Congress along with a Republican in the White House will be good for border security, we need to plan ahead. There is no guarantee that the incoming congress will do their job, and we definitely can not predict what will happen after the 2026 midterm elections or the 2028 Presidential election.” – Monte Long

REMINDER

The Texas Minute will resume on Friday, January 3, 2025.

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