The Texas Tribune: Matthew Choihttps://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/matthew-choi/The latest news by Matthew Choi.enThu, 13 Feb 2025 13:12:26 -0600Texas could sell 100 miles of border to feds, Abbott sayshttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/13/greg-abbott-texas-trump-11-billion-border-security/Abbott is in Washington this week to lobby Congress for $11 billion to compensate Texas for money spent on his Operation Lone Star, to secure the border during the Biden Administration.By Matthew ChoiThu, 13 Feb 2025 13:12:26 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/13/greg-abbott-texas-trump-11-billion-border-security/Gov. Greg Abbott answers questions regarding Operation Lone Star, congressional leadership and his plans for Texas to work with the Trump administration among other things on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at The Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.Gov. Greg Abbott answers questions regarding Operation Lone Star, congressional leadership and his plans for Texas to work with the Trump administration among other things on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at The Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.Luke Johnson for The Texas TribuneFormer TPPF leader Brooke Rollins confirmed by Senate for agriculture secretaryhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/13/brooke-rollins-texas-agriculture-secretary-trump/The Senate voted 72-28 to confirm her nomination. She easily sailed through the Senate Agriculture Committee earlier this month on a unanimous vote.By Matthew ChoiThu, 13 Feb 2025 11:21:55 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/13/brooke-rollins-texas-agriculture-secretary-trump/As Texas gets redder, John Cornyn could face toughest primary season of his careerhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/11/cornyn-paxton-possible-senate-primary/Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has hinted at a possible run, has more support than the four-term senator among Republicans, polling shows.By Matthew ChoiTue, 11 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/11/cornyn-paxton-possible-senate-primary/Sen. John Cornyn at the 2024 Republican Party of Texas convention. While he has had primary challenges before, his 2026 reelection campaign would have a new dimension if a GOP opponent emerges backed by the party's leader.U.S. Sen. John Cornyn speaks with members of the press during a visit to the Republican Party of Texas convention on May 24, 2024 in San Antonio.Eli Hartman/The Texas TribuneFormer Texas lawmaker Scott Turner confirmed to lead HUDhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/turner-confirmation-hud-secretary/Turner served in the Texas House from 2013-2017.By Matthew ChoiWed, 05 Feb 2025 12:37:34 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/turner-confirmation-hud-secretary/U.S. can have our wall, bases and detention cells, Abbott tells Trumphttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/abbott-trump-white-house-border/The governor said the state resources are available to the federal government and requested that the U.S. reimburse Texas for the border hardening measures under Operation Lone Star.By Matthew ChoiWed, 05 Feb 2025 10:10:47 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/abbott-trump-white-house-border/Gov. Greg Abbott and President Trump, shown together in 2023, kept border issues at the top of their agenda when they met at the White House on Wednesday afternoon.Former President Donald Trump greets and shakes hands with Gov. Greg Abbott at the South Texas International Airport in Edinburg, on Nov. 19, 2023, after the governor announced his endorsement of President Trump. “We need Donald J. Trump back as our president of the United States of America,” the governor said.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneTrump delays tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one monthhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/03/tariffs-us-mexico-negotiation/Leaders of the three countries said they agreed to send more troops to the border, tackle U.S. arms smuggling into Mexico and increase collaboration over security issues.By Matthew ChoiMon, 03 Feb 2025 10:27:48 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/03/tariffs-us-mexico-negotiation/Trump’s tariffs have even his supporters in Texas nervoushttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/30/trump-tariffs-impact-texas-economy/Trump has vowed punishing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, which are Texas’ biggest international trading partners.By Matthew Choi and Berenice GarciaThu, 30 Jan 2025 12:03:26 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/30/trump-tariffs-impact-texas-economy/Cross-border trade is under threat as President Trump promises higher tariffs. A sign of how much Texas imports and exports: Trucks entering the United States after crossing the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville.Trucks entering the United States after crossing the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville on Jan. 10, 2019,Eddie Gaspar for The Texas TribuneDonald Trump’s push to freeze federal funds sparks confusion in Texashttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-trump-federal-spending-freeze/Texas cities, counties, higher education institutions and nonprofits clambered Tuesday to gauge the potential fallout from the suspension, later blocked temporarily by a federal judge.By Jayme Lozano Carver, Jessica Priest, Joshua Fechter, Matthew Choi and Terri LangfordTue, 28 Jan 2025 20:35:02 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-trump-federal-spending-freeze/Brooke Rollins says she'll shield farmers from impacts of Trump's tariffs in ag secretary nomination hearinghttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/23/brooke-rollins-trump-agriculture-secretary-texas/Rollins previously led the Texas Public Policy Foundation and served under Gov. Rick Perry.By Matthew ChoiThu, 23 Jan 2025 14:07:17 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/23/brooke-rollins-trump-agriculture-secretary-texas/Former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe confirmed as CIA directorhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/23/john-ratfliffe-cia-director-texas/Ratcliffe is a native of Heath, Texas, where he served as mayor from 2004 to 2012.By Matthew ChoiThu, 23 Jan 2025 13:42:56 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/23/john-ratfliffe-cia-director-texas/Bill to detain undocumented immigrants accused of even minor crimes passes with some Texas Democratic helphttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/22/laken-riley-act-house-senate-immigrant/The bill, named for Laken Riley, a Georgia student killed by an immigrant, adds legislative muscle to President Trump’s immigration enforcement push.By Matthew ChoiWed, 22 Jan 2025 16:53:15 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/22/laken-riley-act-house-senate-immigrant/Trump praises Abbott at inauguration, promises to militarize border and build wallhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/20/trump-inauguration-texas/Texas has already militarized the border under Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.By Matthew ChoiMon, 20 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/20/trump-inauguration-texas/Former Texas congressman vows to keep politics out of CIA as directorhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/15/john-ratcliffe-cia-trump/President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Republican U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA.By Matthew ChoiWed, 15 Jan 2025 12:03:07 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/15/john-ratcliffe-cia-trump/Texans only Democrats in Congress to vote for bill restricting trans athleteshttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/14/texas-vicente-gonzalez-henry-cuellar-anti-trans-sports-bill/Republicans accused Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of supporting gender transitions for children throughout the 2024 election cycle, which he said took a political toll.By Matthew ChoiTue, 14 Jan 2025 15:24:57 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/14/texas-vicente-gonzalez-henry-cuellar-anti-trans-sports-bill/Demonstrators at the Texas Capitol protest state Senate Bill 14 that would ban gender transition health care for trans kids in Texas on May 2, 2023.Demonstrators protest SB14, a bill to eradicate gender transition healthcare for trans kids in Texas, while the bill is heard in the House at the state Capitol on May 2, 2023.Leila Saidane/The Texas TribuneTexas’ senators plan to support Trump’s Cabinet pickshttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/09/texas-senators-cruz-cornyn-trump-cabinet-nominees/Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s picks have stirred controversy for past comments and allegations of malfeasance.By Matthew ChoiThu, 09 Jan 2025 14:51:35 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/09/texas-senators-cruz-cornyn-trump-cabinet-nominees/Ted Cruz defends Trump’s pitch to acquire Greenlandhttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/09/ted-cruz-greenland-donald-trump/Sen. Ted Cruz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stressed Greenland’s strategic location in the Arctic and its natural wealth of critical minerals.By Matthew ChoiThu, 09 Jan 2025 10:56:21 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/09/ted-cruz-greenland-donald-trump/After first opposing Mike Johnson, Texas Congressman Keith Self changes vote to allow him to retain speakershiphttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/03/keith-self-mike-johnson-house-speaker/Rep. Keith Self was initially one of three who voted against House Speaker Mike Johnson’s reelection to lead the lower chamber.By Matthew ChoiFri, 03 Jan 2025 12:58:38 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/03/keith-self-mike-johnson-house-speaker/Farm Bill gets extension as Congress passes spending package and averts shutdownhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/20/farm-bill-extension-texas/The legislation includes financial aid and money for recent natural disasters, but farmers still will be relying on outdated provisions from the 2018 bill.By Jayme Lozano Carver and Matthew ChoiSat, 21 Dec 2024 08:39:36 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/20/farm-bill-extension-texas/The U.S. Senate voted late Friday to pass a spending package, avoiding a government shutdown by minutes. The U.S. House passed the package hours earlier.The U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.Shuran Huang for The Texas TribuneDonald Trump hopes a Republican challenges U.S. Rep. Chip Roy over debt ceiling oppositionhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/19/donald-trump-chip-roy-debt-ceiling/President-elect Donald Trump blasted the Austin Republican for opposing his plans to raise the debt ceiling unless there are restrictions on future spending.By Matthew ChoiThu, 19 Dec 2024 15:45:42 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/19/donald-trump-chip-roy-debt-ceiling/Gov. Greg Abbott announces more than $500 million in public safety grantshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/18/greg-abbott-500-million-public-safety-grants-texas/The grants will go to private and public sector recipients in Texas for a variety of public safety priorities, including securing the southern border.By Matthew ChoiWed, 18 Dec 2024 20:22:04 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/18/greg-abbott-500-million-public-safety-grants-texas/Gov. Greg Abbott, seen at a Thanksgiving dinner event in Edinburg on Nov. 26, 2024, said in a statement Wednesday that $500 million in grant funding would "continue to build a safer Texas for all."Gov. Abbott speaks to DPS Troopers and National Guard troops at a Thanksgiving dinner event in Edinburg on Nov. 26, 2024.Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune