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How a border deal could help Biden
It is safe to say President Joe Biden has infuriated some Texas Democrats with his willingness to work with Republicans on a tougher border security program to unlock Urkaine aid money.
But for the White House, the calculus is clear. If they get a deal on border security, it just might blunt the GOP's best issue against Biden in 2024, particularly with independent voters in swing states like Wisconsin. Up there, a Marquette University poll last month showed Biden and former President Donald Trump in essentially a tie. But when voters are asked about the handling of the border, just 27 percent said Biden is doing a better job than Trump did.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, an Austin Republican, knows a potential deal might help Biden, but that shouldn't stop the GOP from pressing ahead.
"I'm not even gonna worry about that – it's too important for the state of Texas and for this country," Roy told Politico this week. Later he added "If that helps Biden politically. so be it."
Later Roy told conservative radio host Jesse Kelly in an interview that he's not for accepting "fig leaves or crumbs" from Biden on the border in exchange for Ukraine funding and said his advice for his Republican colleagues is to tell the White House "kiss my ass we're not going to give you a dollar for Ukraine until you actually fully secure the border."
It wasn't just me thinking Biden sounded a little like Trump when he told reporters last week: "We need to fix the broken border system." That quote was barely out of his mouth when U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, warned at a press conference against Democrats accepting "Trump-style policies."
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, warned that no matter what deal Biden thinks he is working out, Republicans will "continue to lie" and say Democrats are for open borders and all that will have been accomplished is making it even more dangerous for migrants to seek protection in the United States.
"We should be able to pass that funding without sacrificing the lives of desperate asylum seekers," Castro said about the Ukraine funding.
 | Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter |
Who's up, who's down
Up: Beto O'Rourke.
The Texas Supreme Court said Friday it would not consider Republican megadonor Kelcy Warren's defamation lawsuit against former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke after a state appeals court dismissed it earlier this year. The all-GOP court denied Warren's petition for review without comment, bringing an end to the nearly two-year legal saga. Warren sued O'Rourke after he criticized Warren's company for making windfall profits after the Texas energy grid collapsed during a 2021 winter storm.
Down: Kevin McCarthy.
What a difference a year makes. After more than 15 years in Congress, the California Republican finally became Speaker of the House. But this week he gave his farewell speech to Congress after becoming the shortest-tenured House Speaker in more than 140 years thanks to GOP infighting.
What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.
What else is going on in Texas
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Pick of the day
Photo by: Nadya Hassan
In our final Texas Take podcast of the year, Quorumreport.com editor Scott Braddock and I breakdown the latest in the Kate Cox abortion fight, the implications around a border security deal in Washington and U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw's big legislative victory this week.
What else I'm reading
He's moved Tesla to Texas. Launched rockets from South Texas. And now Elon Musk is making plans to open schools and eventually a university in the state. The Austin American Statesman reports on IRS filings that show Musk is aiming to start by creating a primary and secondary school in Austin focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects with about 50 students, and plans to scale up over time. The filing noted the school aims to "create a university dedicated to education at the highest levels" with a curriculum focused on math, science, engineering, physics and hands-on learning.
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