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** HYR Weekly Political Update
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Last Week's Topic Roundup (Jan. 13 - Jan. 17)


** January 21st, 2025
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Editor’s Note: We will address President Trump’s resounding inauguration in the forthcoming newsletter as we transition to Friday releases.


** Welcome to the HYR Weekly Newsletter!
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We’re excited to bring you this weekly update, designed to keep you informed about the latest political happenings, both locally and nationally. Our goal is to highlight important developments, share key insights, and provide resources to help you stay engaged with the political landscape. Whether it’s updates from Congress, local election news, or opportunities to get involved, we’ve got you covered.

Thank you for being part of HYR, and we look forward to keeping you informed and connected.

Matt Murphy
Political Director, Houston Young Republicans
The Senate
Pete Hegseth, Sec. Def. designee, dominated headlines Tuesday. His hearing had many contentious exchanges ([link removed]) but with potential swing vote Joni Ernst [R-IA] declaring her support for Hegseth, his confirmation is virtually guaranteed. Freshman Senator John Curtis [R-UT], at time of writing, has not indicated whether he’ll support or oppose Hegseth. His vote won’t change the outcome either way, but will signify his stance within the GOP Senate Conference.

Pam Bondi, designee for AG, had back-to-back appearances before the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and Thursday. Bondi’s been criticized by Democrats for her role as President Trump’s personal attorney in wake of the 2020 election, yet event her harshest critics can’t deny Bondi has a sharp legal mind, having served as Florida’s AG. However, Bondi still faces a relatively straight forward path toward Senate confirmation. The first day ([link removed]) of her hearing produced some memorable exchanges between Bondi Judiciary Committee Democrats Adam Schiff [D-CA] and Mazie Hirono [D-HI].

Houston’s own Senator Ted Cruz presided over the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing to examine Sean Duffy for Transportation Secretary, a role for which Duffy commands bipartisan support and is widely considered a shoo-in. A five-term Congressman and former District Attorney from Wisconsin, Duffy has a proven track record in both the legal field and federal politics. During his confirmation hearing, Duffy outlined his vision for the Department of Transportation, focusing on more stringent safety regulations for the Federal Aviation Administration—calling out Boeing specifically—formulaic changes to federal highway funding to address the untaxed use of electric vehicles, and slashing red tape and bureaucracy to ensure the department’s $100 billion budget is not wasted on unnecessary regulatory hurdles. A former competitive logroller and two-time speed-climbing champion ([link removed]) , Duffy’s knack
for navigating difficult terrain may serve him well as he takes on the challenge of righting the course at the DOT.

For the sake of brevity, this newsletter won’t dive into the exhaustive list of pending nominations, but the Senate has been busy considering several key appointees over the past week and will continue to do so in the coming days. Among the nominees are:
* Chris Wright for Energy Secretary
* John Ratcliffe for CIA Director
* Russell Vought for Director of the Office of Management and Budget
* Lee Zeldin for EPA Administrator
* Eric Scott for Housing and Urban Development Secretary
* Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary
* Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary
* Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security
* Elise Stefanik for American Ambassador to the UN
* Doug Collins for Secretary of Veterans Affairs
* Brooke Rollins, the former President and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, for Secretary of Agriculture.

The House
Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act: The House passed a bill banning transgenders from competing against biological women in sports by a 218-206 ([link removed]) margin. Notably, two House Democrats joined the GOP on this vote: Henry Cuellar [D-TX-28] and Vicente Gonzalez [D-TX-34].

Budget reconciliation and the debt ceiling: Speaker Johnson is struggling to raise the debt ceiling with very tenuous party-line margins in the House. Majority Leader John Thune [R-SD] said this week the Senate won’t entertain a debt ceiling bill tied to unrelated policy. Nonetheless, on Tuesday Speaker Johnson announced an ambitious timeline ([link removed]) for a budgetary framework by February 27^th. He walked it back almost immediately ([link removed]) . This storyline is important. Budget reconciliation is arguably the most significant tool Congress has to enact sweeping reform. Congressional Republicans have
reached a general consensus as to their reconciliation policy priorities, how exactly it shakes out procedurally remains to be seen.

Committee assignment drama: Speaker Johnson removed Mike Turner [R-OH-10] as Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Wednesday evening. Differences in foreign policy between Turner and the Trump administration likely played a key factor—Turner was one of the few GOP supporters of Ukraine funding left in the conference. Thursday afternoon, Congressman Rick Crawford [R-AR-01] was named Turner’s successor. Crawford is an Army Sergeant, former Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, and has served in the House since 2011. Turner’s removal and Crawford’s ascent are indicative of House leadership’s commitment to President Trump’s agenda and incoming intelligence community appointees.
Last Week in Texas

Mark McCaig

Lubbock Republican Dustin Burrows emerged the winner of the most contentious race for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives in decades, defeating fellow Republican David Cook on a second ballot by a vote of 85-55, with 9 members registering as “Present, Not Voting.”

Democrat State Representative Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos was eliminated after the first round of voting, where she received 23 votes. Rodriguez Ramos was among the Democrats who supported Cook in the second round of voting.

Burrows, who is serving his sixth term in the Texas House, has previously held key leadership roles, having led the Calendars Committee during the past two legislative sessions and the Ways and Means Committee during the 2019 session.

In the weeks leading up to the vote for Speaker, Burrows and his supporters were targeted by a well-funded smear campaign from the Republican Party of Texas and organizations tied to billionaire donor Tim Dunn. The attack ads and mailers, which included false claims that lawmakers were making deals with Democrats to gain power, appear to have backfired.

Although both Cook and Burrows solicited support from Democrats in their campaigns, Burrows publicly stated that he had not made concessions to Democrats. In an interview with the Texas Tribune ([link removed]) , Burrows said, “No concessions have been made. That would be illegal, and it’d be unethical, and I would never vote for a speaker who made concessions.”

While many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spoke positively of Cook and his commitment to public service, the aggressive and frequently dishonest tactics used by groups outside of the House that supported Cook appeared largely to have the effect of moving legislators who had been on the fence into Burrows’ camp. Cook publicly denounced some of these tactics ([link removed]) , most notably when a political action committee run by Chris Ekstrom ([link removed]) – a former Congressional candidate who had been awarded the “Conservative Leader Award” by Texas Scorecard- sent text messages attacking lawmakers that included their personal cell phone numbers.

Freshman State Representative Caroline Fairly of Amarillo, who had previously been pledged to Cook, discussed the “misleading campaigns” directed at Burrows and his supporters in a public statement announcing that she would be voting for Burrows. Fairly’s statement was first reported publicly by Brad Johnson of The Texan ([link removed]) .

Burrows has been one of the most vocal proponents of the “Texas Conservative Commitment ([link removed]) ”, a ten-point conservative policy agenda for the new legislative session. In a statement last month reiterating his support for the Texas Conservative Commitment, Burrows said, “As a champion of this agenda, I’m committed to working with House members in preparing to have legislation ready to go on day one to ensure we get it across the finish line next session. I appreciate the work of the lawmakers and their dedication to achieving these priorities, which will continue to transform the future of Texas for the better.”

The statement also said that Burrows had “begun working with lawmakers to pass legislation to strengthen our border security, empower parents through universal school choice, and find additional ways to further reduce property taxes for Texans.”

In remarks delivered after his election, Burrows focused on the theme of the Texas House of Representatives as “the People’s House.”

“Whether your district is urban or rural, coastal or border, your constituents sent you here to ensure their children can prosper, their communities can grow, and their hope for the future does not diminish. I commit to you today: every member- every member- will have a voice. Every district- every district- will have a seat at the table,” said Burrows.

Burrows, who has previously expressed his belief that the Speaker should not “put their thumb on the scale” when it comes to the rules of the Texas House, also reiterated that position in his remarks. Burrows stated, “The rules that govern this chamber are designed to protect members from the speaker, not the other way around. The rules exist to guarantee open and respectful policy debates, as is fitting for such a representative body. They ensure the majority can rule while the minority has its voice.”

Burrows concluded his remarks by stressing his desire to work with all members of the Texas House, including those who voted against him, for the betterment of Texas.
The post Burrows Elected Speaker of Texas House of Representatives ([link removed]) appeared first on The Texas Voice. ([link removed])


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