Food aid cuts and other changes: What the U.S. House spending bill could mean for Texans
Many low-income families would see cuts in health care and food benefits. The state hopes for a big reimbursement for border security spending. Full Story
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Katharine Wilson is a Washington, D.C.-based reporting fellow covering the Texas congressional delegation on Capitol Hill. Katharine, a senior journalism and politics double major at the University of Maryland, is also involved in campus publications as a senior staff writer for The Diamondback and news director for WMUC Radio. Katharine previously covered the Maryland congressional delegation for Capital News Service. She also interned with CNN, NBC, Montgomery Community Media, The Herald-Mail, and College Park Here & Now. Katharine is from Riverside, California, and loves musical theater and swimming.
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![A volunteer loads a box of groceries into a truck for delivery to a nearby community in the the panhandle.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
$12 billion added to congressional spending bill to reimburse states like Texas for border spending
The U.S. House approved the budget reconciliation bill, which also includes preservation of 2017 tax cuts and changes to Medicaid and SNAP. Full Story
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![A member of the Texas National Guard looks down at his rifle ahead of the arrival of Gov. Greg Abbott and several other states leadership ahead of a press conference at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Feb. 04, 2024.]()
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Ted Cruz introduces bill incentivizing K-12 scholarships
The bill, titled the Universal School Choice Act, would provide a tax credit to match an amount donated to organizations that provide K-12 scholarships. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, arrives for the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee nominations in the Russell Senate Office Building on Tuesday, May 13,2025.]()
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A Texas teen was the victim of fake AI nudes. Now a new law requires platforms to remove such content.
A high school victim was one of the victims, but she and her mother fought back, with the help of Senator Ted Cruz. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump signs the the Take it Down Act into law during a ceremony at the White House in Washington on May 19, 2025.]()
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Abbott wants to stop allowing federal benefits in Texas to be spent on unhealthy, high-processed food
Texas’ governor joins other Republican governors making similar requests to ban purchases of candy and soda through the SNAP program. Full Story
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![The fresh produce section of a Brookshire Brothers grocery store in Buffalo on June 29, 2023.]()
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Texas Democrats cancel planned vote to condemn Rep. Henry Cuellar
Concerns about measures to enforce a ban against a lawmaker’s access to voter files led the party to drop the vote, a party leader said. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, speaks about the U.S.-Mexico border at the World Trade Bridge at a news conference in Laredo on Feb. 17, 2023.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
John Cornyn says tax and spending bill must reimburse Texas $11 billion for border security
Texas Republicans are pushing the federal government to pay the state’s costs of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg’s Abbott’s border security initiative. Full Story
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![A member of the Texas Army National Guard patrols the Rio Grande from atop a line of shipping containers in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democratic Party considers sanctioning Henry Cuellar over federal indictment, votes breaking with party
The Laredo congressman could be blocked from party campaign resources and social events if the party sanction is passed. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, R-Laredo, at a Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 10, 2024.]()
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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to lead Trump’s commission on religious liberty
The commission includes Ben Carson, “Dr. Phil” McGraw and religious figures. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speak at a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden at the White House on May 1, 2025 in Washington, D.C.]()
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Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta confirmed as Trump’s ambassador to Italy
The Texas billionaire has said he will drop his position at Landry’s, but will continue his ownership of the Houston Rockets. Full Story
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![University of Houston President Renu Khator talks with the U of H board of regents Chairman Tilman Fertitta at the university on Feb. 21, 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune