Day 15: Budget Hearings Expose GOP's Fiscal Failures In Texas

Texas agencies struggle with staff shortages, outdated tech, and GOP neglect.

Today, the Senate Committee on Finance will continue discussing the budget with the Office of the Governor and the Secretary of State, among other agencies. The Office of the Governor is the only department we’ll probably hear from that isn’t underfunded. His staff will also have an opportunity to discuss the money Abbott has spent on stunts like bussing migrants across the country. And as the Secretary of State is responsible for elections, there will probably be some juicy information in that testimony.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick published his list of the top 25 priorities for this legislative session yesterday. Needless to say, Mr. Marylander is entirely out of touch with Texans’ needs and wants.

I’m not going to rehash all of his wish lists, but Patrick’s top priorities for the 2025 legislative session read like a parody of a far-right fever dream filled with culture-war nonsense. Instead of addressing real issues facing Texans, like crumbling infrastructure, unaffordable healthcare, and teacher shortages, Patrick is focused on banning THC and protecting the Ten Commandments in schools. Apparently, public education’s biggest concern isn’t teacher pay or overcrowded classrooms but making sure that kids can “pray in school” without interference.

Not content with alienating Texans with regressive education policies, Patrick also makes time for everyone’s favorite GOP fearmongering buzzwords: “inappropriate books” and “drag time story hour.” In a state plagued by power grid failures during extreme weather, Patrick’s supposed solution for reliability is buried under sensationalist bills targeting marginalized communities. And let’s not overlook the laughably titled “Educating Texas Students on the Horrors of Communism” because nothing screams “priority for our children’s future” like Cold War-era propaganda.

Patrick’s priorities demonstrate a disconnect from reality. He is more concerned with riling up his base than solving actual problems.

Governor Greg Abbott issued five new executive orders.

Also, yesterday, our feckless leader issued several new executive orders directing our state military, paid for with our state dollars, to “assist with border operations.”

This confuses me since the Republicans’ entire rationale for re-electing Mango Mussolini was because he was the “only one” capable of fixing the so-called border crisis. Now, it’s looking like having Trump in charge of the border is going to cost Texas taxpayers more money than before. Funny how that works.

Drama Queen Brian Harrison performs a hat trick.

Yesterday, we guessed whether or not the Karen Caucus would continue their temper tantrum over the House rule vote from last week. 100% of you guessed right.

The point of this exercise is unclear, other than making clips for his rabid Twitter followers. No one ever told Brian Harrison (R-HD10) that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. At the end of this all, not only will his Democratic peers loath him, but the rest of the Republican caucus will, too.

Harrison went solo yesterday. Likely, his buddies were like, “You really want us to ask the same questions…again?”

Republicans are not serious people.

The House is gaveled out and will not meet again until Tuesday. We may see House committee assignments by then, but this is not guaranteed. Stay tuned.

Day 14 - Senate Finance Committee, Budget Hearings - Day Three.

These hearings are long and tedious, but I didn’t cover them as thoroughly in the last session, and I wanted you to get a feel for how poorly Republicans are running our government. Republicans use regressive tax methods to funnel money to special interests, starving the rest of our government’s services. Despite the long-time rhetoric on fiscal responsibility, the GOP is terrible at running things.

Comptroller Glenn Hager testified again. On Monday, he discussed SB1, and yesterday, he discussed the Comptroller’s Office.

SB1 initially reduced the Comptroller’s staff by 100. Hager has requested funding to reinstate that staff and wants to hire another 87. Even some of the GOP favorites are underfunded and understaffed.

The Comptroller’s office’s IT systems are outdated, and Hager asked for $34 million to update their computer systems.

In the last session, the Legislature gave disabled veterans property tax exemptions. The state was supposed to replace 77% of the tax loss to local governments, but it has only reimbursed 27%. This has led to financial strain at the local level and increased property taxes for everyone else.

I may sound like a broken record, but I will shout it from the rooftops until everyone knows. Republicans are bad at governing. They’re why your property taxes are so high, your kid’s school is underfunded, and your lights go off with every storm. The Texas GOP is not fiscally responsible, nor do they seem to grasp the concept of long-term planning. Instead, they fixate on politically expedient stunts designed to keep their most reactionary voters appeased. Meanwhile, essential services crumble, infrastructure collapses, and local governments are left to pick up the pieces.

We did get an update from the Comptroller’s office about the rural broadband money… sort of. Hager claimed $500 million in federal COVID relief funds for rural broadband projects and that $1.5 billion in state funds were allocated to broadband in the last session.

In the 88th Session, the Legislature passed a bill to allocate $5 billion to rural broadband. But it was a very secretive bill, without transparency or accounting, and when Democrats tried to amend the bill to give it transparency, Republicans voted against it. Check it out:

This happens a lot in the Texas Legislature. Republicans almost always vote against transparency.

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

Like many state agencies, CPRIT faces outdated technology and staffing shortages. Meanwhile, GOP legislators prioritize culture wars over improving healthcare infrastructure.

Despite prevention being the most cost-effective strategy (saving $29 for every dollar spent), CPRIT is restricted by statute to allocate only 10% of its budget to cancer prevention efforts. Senator Bob Hall (R-SD02) criticized this as a significant flaw in the program’s design.

The bulk of CPRIT’s $6 billion budget has gone into academic research and grants, mainly benefiting institutions like UT Southwestern and MD Anderson. This has infuriated Republican Senators, who believe academia is woke.

CPRIT’s leadership requested salary increases for key positions to compete with salaries at other institutions. This sparked debate about whether these salary hikes were justified while other essential government services remained underfunded. Republicans tout “personal responsibility” but block funding increases for preventative healthcare. Instead, they allow systemic underinvestment that disproportionately harms low-income Texans.

Senator Hall and others criticized CPRIT’s financial returns, arguing that a $10.4 million return on royalties is “disastrous” for a $6 billion investment. However, this shortsighted and reactionary approach ignores the long-term nature of medical research and the lives saved through early detection and clinical trials.

The Employee Retirement System (ERS).

ERS covers approximately 540,000 lives (state employees, retirees, and families), excluding the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems. Annual health claims amount to $8 billion biannually (~$4 billion annually) and are increasing at around 7% annually.

Over the past three years, ERS investments returned 5.7%, while the S&P 500 returned 23.4%. Over 10 years, ERS reported a 7.8% return, significantly underperforming compared to the S&P’s 133% return. Senator Charles Schwertner (R-SD05) argued that ERS’s investment strategy is outdated and underperforms, forcing taxpayers to backfill pension shortfalls through additional state contributions.

Instead of fixing investment oversight, Republicans have repeatedly bailed out pension funds with taxpayer money, contradicting their claims of fiscal responsibility.

Prescription drug costs, particularly for GLP-1 agonist drugs (e.g., Ozempic), are a significant cost driver. These drugs now cost ERS up to $1,250 per participant per month, contributing to 42% of pharmacy cost increases. ERS spends $30 million per month on GLP-1 drugs, projected to reach $360 million annually by 2025.

The state covers 100% of health insurance premiums for employees and 50% for dependents, a benefit unheard of in most private-sector jobs.

While lawmakers complain about pharmaceutical costs, Republicans have failed to enact meaningful reforms to control drug prices, leaving Texans to foot the bill. The state’s refusal to expand Medicaid or adopt aggressive cost-control measures places even more financial strain on public programs like ERS.

For those of you interested in diving deeper into how Republican mismanagement is crippling essential state services…

Here are the YouTube links to some other agencies that testified yesterday.

• Texas Historical Commission

• Texas State Library and Archives

• Texas Commission of the Arts

• Pension Review Board

• Texas Veterans Commission

• Commission on State Emergency Communications

Each agency shared a familiar tale of being underfunded, understaffed, and forced to function with outdated resources. These agencies are crucial to preserving Texas history, providing emergency services, and supporting our veterans—but they are being strangled by a legislature obsessed with tax cuts for the wealthy and political theatrics.

For example, the Texas State Library and Archives highlighted their ongoing struggles to maintain historical records, train local government archivists, and expand public access to vital documents. They can’t digitize or protect many of the state’s most valuable historical artifacts without adequate funding. Meanwhile, the Texas Commission on the Arts struggles to meet overwhelming grant demand. With only a fraction of the requested financing available, cultural initiatives are left unfunded despite evidence that the arts fuel economic growth through cultural tourism.

Similarly, the Texas Veterans Commission is facing a growing veteran population, including many relocating to Texas, which has put immense pressure on its staff and resources. The commission needs more benefit advisors and mental health counselors but can’t keep up because its budget has not scaled with demand. At the same time, the Commission on State Emergency Communications, which handles 911 services and poison control, reported that outdated technology and limited funding threaten its ability to respond to emergencies quickly and efficiently.

The pattern is clear: underfunded agencies struggle to serve a growing population, while GOP leadership prioritizes sensationalism over good governance.

These budget hearings expose Republican policies’ failures. Instead of reinvesting in critical state programs, they channel tax dollars into publicity stunts designed to inflame their base. The result is a state government that cannot properly maintain its archives, protect its veterans, or even ensure that rural communities have reliable internet access.

Texans deserve better. They deserve leaders focused on long-term solutions, funding schools, repairing infrastructure, and supporting public services that help every community thrive. Until that happens, we’ll be stuck with a government that is more invested in performative politics than solving real problems.

• January 31: Left In Texas Podcast - Representative Christina Morales

• February 2: Senate Finance Committee - Article III (Education and voucher scheme funding)

• March 14: The last day Legislators can file bills.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

LoneStarLeft is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Follow me on Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Instagram.