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** HYR Weekly Political Update | Valentine’s Edition
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** February 14th, 2025
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TRUMP GOES FULL
ANDREW JACKSON: DEEP STATE PURGE, DOJ SHAKEDOWN & A UKRAINE DEAL?
** Welcome to This Week's HYR Newsletter, Happy Valentine’s Day!
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In Washington, President Trump continues to channel his inner Andrew Jackson, while signaling (fingers crossed) an end to the war in Ukraine. The Senate continues to rubberstamp his nominees in record-time, and the House seems to have an actionable gameplan for the federal budget.
In Austin, the State House has finalized their committee assignments, and they bode well for conservatives. We unpack it all below!
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 White House
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USAID Absurdity Continued
USAID apparently bankrolled the college tuition of an al-Qaeda terrorist ([link removed]) with ties to the 9/11 hijackers; he lied on his federally approved application (claiming he was from Yemen) so he could be eligible for his taxpayer-funded education—which cost $27,000 in 1990, the equivalent of ~$67,300 adjusting for inflation.
Shock and awe continued: Another week, another flurry of executive branch moves slashing government waste and unelected bureaucrats.
• President Trump fired all remaining federal prosecutors ([link removed]) who are holdovers from the Biden administration. Contrary to what pearl-clutching liberal talking heads and politicians may say--this is common practice ([link removed]) for new administrations.
• Mary Comans, the FEMA official who defied President Trump’s EO and sent $59M taxpayer dollars for housing illegal aliens in NYC, was fired.
• David Huitema, who was appointed as Director of the Office of Government Ethics by Joe Biden, and confirmed during a lame duck session of Congress following the 2024 election, has been dismissed ([link removed]) . Huitema was tasked as the chief ethics watchdog for the entire federal government; recently confirmed VA Secretary Doug Collins will serve as acting director until President Trump can appoint a full-fledged replacement.
• Similarly, the Trump administration axed 17 inspector generals ([link removed]) across various federal agencies. These firings likely stemmed from the power inspector generals wield, and their ability to throw a wrench in carrying out the Trump agenda—simply put, this decision affirms the early Trump administration playbook: out with the old (Biden-era obstructionists), in with the new (competent MAGA-loyalists).
President Trump signaled his intent to shutter the Department of Education ([link removed]) . A few things to consider here:
1. Since the inception of the DOE, nearly all meaningful metrics of educational competency ([link removed]) have steadily dropped over time.
2. Blindly throwing money at the DOE hasn’t fixed our education system at all. The US consistently ranks #1 in terms of federal spending per student amongst the 40 most developed nations on earth—and ~40th (or just above when we’re not dead last) on student academic performance. 21% of American adults are illiterate, and over 50% of Americans can’t read above a 6th grade level.
3. Shuttering the department *does not mean* federal money will not be used to support our public and charter schools, but that individual states will be allowed to use that money at their discretion with less arbitrary federal guidelines and impediments. The Trump administration is simply arguing that individual states and local governments know how to serve their students better than the federal government (to the delight of Federalists everywhere, this author included).
Worth noting, these moves are currently or will be held up in court ([link removed]) —particularly in the case of the fired IG’s, as President Trump didn’t give Congress the required 30-day notice; here’s hoping the administration, like Andrew Jackson’s, simply doesn’t care ([link removed]) .
The White House Abroad
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It was a “yuge” week for the Trump administration on the foreign affairs front.
• Marc Fogel returns: Marc Fogel, an American held hostage in Russia since 2021, has been freed ([link removed]) in wake of negotiations between the President Trump and Vladimir Putin. Fogel first deplaned in America sporting a Pittsburg Steelers beanie with a domestic beer (or two) in hand; he said jail was preferable to 11 straight years of Steelers losses in the wild card/divisional round (probably).
• Speaking of Russia: President Trump made huge strides in thawing Russo-America tensions this week. Among many developments ([link removed]) that came from a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” between Putin and President Trump, the most significant signaled (hopefully) the end of war in Ukraine.
Additionally, President Trump called for ([link removed]) Russia’s return to the G7. For context, the G7 ([link removed]) is a formally organized international forum consisting of countries at the focal point of global geopolitical power; under the Obama administration Russia had been expelled from what was the G8 for their 2014 invasion of Ukraine. President Trump has been consistent on this issue ([link removed]) from his first tenure, and even called for Australia, India, and South Korea to have a seat at the table too. The mainstream media will inevitably spin this decision as President Trump being compromised by or sympathetic to Russia instead of what it really is: an incredible leap forward for international stability.
• Vance in France: The Vice-President impressed and terrified (in the best sense) global leaders in Paris this week at an international policy summit concerning AI, articulately laying out America’s approach to artificial intelligence under the Trump/Vance administration. I’d highly recommend checking out the full video ([link removed]) or transcript ([link removed]) , and thanking God America didn’t choose to trot out Tim Walz for such an occasion. His worldwide tour continued in Munich ([link removed]) , where Vance took a proverbial blowtorch ([link removed]) to leaders of the European Union over their authoritarian stances on free speech and lax immigration policies. Here’s hoping the next time the Vice President does a worldwide tour he
sells advance tickets.
Olive Branches for Blue State Politicians
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Some food for thought next time you hear the Trump administration is weaponizing the federal government against his enemies or can’t work across the aisle.
• The Trump DOJ dropped a bribery case against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. The move could be considered an exchange of concessions, provided Adams continues to govern the city more conservatively (particularly in terms of law and order and immigration); Adams dismissed rumors he’s switching to the GOP ([link removed]) —but has been moving towards the political center policy-wise in wake of the 2024 election. The US Attorney in Manhattan subsequently resigned, citing refusal to follow President Trump’s order to drop the case.
• President Trump pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who served 8-years in prison for politically steering President Obama’s vacated Senate seat in wake of his 2008 presidential election victory. Blagojevich governed as a Democrat while in office, but supported President Trump in the 2024 election, and even attended the last Republican National Convention in doing so. The two have history—Blagojevich appeared on the Celebrity Apprentice following his gubernatorial impeachment.
The Senate
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Confirmations/Nominations Continued
It was a whirlwind of activity on the nomination/confirmation front. ~75 Trump administration appointees ([link removed]) were either announced, referred to respective committees, or taken up for further consideration. The biggest wins of the week were RFK and Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation (no thanks to Mitch McConnell [R-KY], the lone Republican Senator to vote against both of them), as well as Texas’ own Brooke Rollins—who’ll lead the Agriculture Department.
It’s notable that Bernie Sanders [Socialist Swine Party-VT] voted against Gabbard—she stepped down ([link removed]) from her position as Vice Chair of the DNC after learning how the Democrat party backstabbed Bernie during his 2016 presidential campaign; dignity was apparently a one way street in this instance.
Howard Lutnick (Commerce Dept.) and Kash Patel (FBI) were confirmed by their corresponding committees, and should receive a final confirmation vote before the full Senate in coming days; both appear on track to lead the respective agencies they’ve been nominated for.
Give credit to Senate GOP leadership (Sens. John Thune [R-SD], Ted Cruz [R-TX], Tom Cotton [R-AR], and Chuck Grassley [R-IA] in particular) for managing to whip votes for these candidates; just a few weeks ago their collective chances of confirmation seemed questionable to varying degrees.
The House
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Budget Reconciliation Progress
At long last, the House GOP has put forth their framework for the federal budget ([link removed]) . After 12 hours of floor debate, in which dozens of Democrat-proposed amendments were shot down, Congress can start moving forward with a vehicle to enact and legislatively enshrine the pillars of President Trump’s agenda. Texas’ own Jodey Arrington [R-TX-19], who chairs the House Budget Committee, deserves a huge round of applause for getting the House to this juncture.
A few highlights of the House GOP’s budget proposal:
• $1.5 trillion in spending cuts
• $4.5T in tax cuts
• Debt limit increase of $4T (a vitally important point given the impending government shutdown a month from today)
• $300 billion increase in spending on border security and national defense
The House will be in recess for 10 days, but the successful mark-up of this budget bill means it should receive a vote on the House floor as soon as they reconvene. Two key things to consider here—Thune has said he will not formally consider a tax package that doesn’t permanently enshrine President Trump’s initial tax, which this bill does not. And Jason Smith [R-MO-8], who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee (i.e. the committee tasked with making the budget workable) has said he’ll need more than $4.5T in wiggle room to cover everything the Trump agenda wants to cover. At the end of the day, all that can ultimately be taken care of down the line by the Senate if the House passes this budget bill. Fingers crossed.
Other Notable Developments and Updates
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• President Trump has found a novel use ([link removed]) for his mugshot—Oval Office décor.
• A friendly reminder, please don’t deadname the Gulf of America ([link removed]) .
• House Democrats are hellbent on losing the next election; they’ve introduced a bill to institutionalize reparations for slavery ([link removed]) .
• Elizabeth Warren was abused on national television ([link removed]) by Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve.
• President Trump has been branded “DOGE the bounty hunter” ([link removed]) on social media.
• Absurd wastes of taxpayer dollars ([link removed]) were discovered at the National Institute of Health this week—I’ll begrudgingly admit I’d pay to see their hamster fight club though.
• Democrat lawmakers in Washington state have introduced legislation which (I’m not making this up) ([link removed]) reduces penalties for child predators caught in online sting operations.
This Week in Texas
Mark McCaig
Committee Assignments
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced committee assignments for the Texas House yesterday, with his appointments signaling a desire to unify Republican lawmakers around conservative policy priorities.
Of the 30 committee chairs appointed by Speaker Burrows, 18 are signers of the Texas Conservative Commitment ([link removed]) . This ten-point conservative policy agenda includes priority issues such as universal school choice, border security, property tax relief, securing Texas from hostile foreign actors, election integrity, and other issues.
The chairmen of the three most prominent committees in the Texas House- Appropriations Chairman Dr. Greg Bonnen, State Affairs Chairman Ken King, and Calendars Chairman Todd Hunter- have all signed the Texas Conservative Commitment. Speaker Burrows is also a signatory.
State Representative Giovanni Capriglione will serve as Chairman of the new Delivery of Government Efficiency (DOGE) committee, which is modeled after Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts in the Trump Administration. Capriglione, who has spearheaded efforts in the Texas House relating to artificial intelligence, is an outspoken advocate for government transparency.
State Representative Brad Buckley, a supporter of school choice, will again serve as Chairman of the Public Education committee. In his State of the State address earlier this month, Governor Abbott thanked Buckley for his leadership on school choice and declared it an emergency item.
Burrows also used his committee assignments to show his desire to unify House Republicans. Four chairmanships were awarded to members who supported State Representative David Cook on both ballots for Speaker- Criminal Jurisprudence Chairman John Smithee, Elections Chairman Matt Shaheen, Agriculture and Livestock Chairman Ryan Guillen, and Redistricting Chairman Cody Vasut. Two others, Transportation Chairman Tom Craddick and Corrections Chairman Sam Harless, supported Cook on the first ballot and switched their votes to Burrows on the second ballot.
Cook was appointed by Burrows to serve as Chairman of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee’s Permanent Standing Committee on Juvenile Justice.
A full list of Texas House committee assignments by committee can be viewed here ([link removed]) , and a full list of committee assignments by member can be viewed here ([link removed]) .
**
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Galentine's Sip & Paint
Feb. 15 (TOMORROW) - Buy tickets here. ([link removed])
General Meeting w/ Shawn Thierry
Feb. 18 - Get FREE tickets here. ([link removed])
Legislative Address w/ Rep. Hunt
Feb. 19 - RSVP here. ([link removed])
Border to Backyard Dinner
Feb. 25 - Buy member tickets here. ([link removed])
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
As an HYR Member, you receive this newsletter as a benefit of your membership. These weekly updates are designed to keep you informed with the most pressing political issues of the week.
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