Texas GOP lawyer and former FEC chair Trey Trainor announces run for Chip Roy’s seat in Congress
The longtime GOP operative has spent decades as a lawyer for Texas Republicans and conservative causes. Full Story
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Gabby Birenbaum is the Washington Correspondent for the Texas Tribune. She covers the Texas congressional delegation and the impact of federal policy on Texas. Gabby previously covered Washington for The Nevada Independent, where she wrote the weekly D.C. Download newsletter and covered the 2024 presidential election and competitive Senate race. Prior to The Nevada Independent, Gabby worked at The Washington Monthly and Vox. Gabby graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and political science. She is a native of Arlington, Virginia and is based in Washington, DC. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, watching movies and being a long-suffering fan of DC sports teams. Her work is supported by a partnership with Report for America.
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![Rep. Jonathan Stickland's attorney, Trey Trainor waits for House Committee on General Investigating & Ethics to resume on Sep 15, 2015. Stickland has been accused of breaking the law by listing witnesses who were not in Austin as supporters of his legislation during a House Transportation Committee in late April.]()
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GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt announces run for U.S. Senate, joining Cornyn, Paxton in primary
The Houston congressman is giving up his safe seat after just two terms, scrambling the contest between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, speaks at a Trump campaign rally for then-Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 11, 2024 in Reno, Nevada.]()
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Texas could bear the brunt of expiring ACA tax credits. Is the GOP delegation willing to make a deal?
Democrats in Congress want to renew the Obamacare subsidies as part of any deal to reopen the government. Texas Republicans say the policy needs major reforms. Full Story
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![Brenda Patoine of Vermont joins over a thousand people at a march against efforts to dismantle and defund the healthcare system on March 12, 2025 in Washington.]()
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The federal government has shut down. Here’s what it means for Texas
Many federal employees are required to continue working without pay, though furloughs — or the usual uptick in workers calling in sick — could disrupt some services. Full Story
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![A sign advertises a government shutdown relief loan program outside of the United States Senate Federal Credit Union branch office in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.]()
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Ted Cruz says conservatives “will regret” Trump’s FCC chairman going after Jimmy Kimmel
The Texas senator compared Brendan Carr’s threat to ABC to that of a mafia boss. Full Story
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![Chairman U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing with CEO of Boeing Kelly Ortberg in the Dirksen Senate office building in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025.]()
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Rep. Michael McCaul, foreign policy hawk in an increasingly isolationist GOP, recounts 20 years in Congress
The longtime Austin Republican, who is retiring at the end of his term, said he is concerned about the direction of his party and Congress as a whole. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, speaks at a press conference in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.]()
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Tejano star Bobby Pulido launches South Texas congressional run
The musician and Democrat is looking to flip Texas’ 15th Congressional District, which voted for President Donald Trump by 18% in 2024. Full Story
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![Tejano singer Bobby Pulido of Edinburg, Texas holds his award backstage at the Premio lo Nuestro latin music awards show in Miami February 22, 2007.]()
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Texas GOP may be banking on low Hispanic turnout in new map
Republicans note that some of the districts they intend to flip were redrawn to become majority-Hispanic. Democrats say the GOP made sure to add Hispanic Texans who are unlikely to vote. Full Story
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![Presiding judge Dina Patel checks her watch as she waits for polls to open at Parker Elementary on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas solar program left in limbo after Trump administration pulls the plug on $250 million grant
Texas’ Solar for All program was intended to bring solar panels and batteries to low-income neighborhoods and create jobs by training workers to install the technology. Full Story
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![An Oberon solar project on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Notrees, Ector County. The farm, operated by 174 Power Global, produces 180 megawatts of power and according to Chariot Energy has an estimated lifespan of 25 to 30 years.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
How Democrats pressured U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett to step aside for the next generation
Doggett’s shocking decision to retire signals U.S. Rep. Greg Casar’s growing strength among Democrats in Austin politics and in Congress. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps Lloyd Doggett and Rep. Greg Casar, both of Austin, at a press conference with Texas Democratic leaders at the state Capitol on July 31, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune