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A wait too long?
The border issue has been so good politically for Republicans against President Joe Biden, that some in D.C. have suggested that it's best to walk away from any immigration policy deal with the White House no matter how good it might be.
That way they can use it during the presidential election to win back more seats in the House and Senate.
But Gov. Greg Abbott appears worried about the potential fallout of such a strategy, which in theory could mean migrants continuing to flood into Texas while the impasse continues. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn told Politico that he talked to Abbott about the negotiations and the Republican governor made clear that waiting another year is concerning.
"So we're just supposed to take this flow of humanity across the border for the next year," Abbott asked, according to Cornyn.
Don't take that as meaning Abbott has a position on the details of the negotiations, Renae Eze, the governor's communications director told me. She said he hasn't seen any legislation at this point and purposely expressed no support one way or the other.
Over the last few weeks, Biden has consistently sounded like he is willing to make deals to address the asylum process that could stem the flow of migrants crossing into Texas. But in the House, some Republicans want more. They've demanded Biden accept a bill the House passed last year that has no chance of passing the U.S. Senate. That's where the threat of walking away from any deal over the next year has emerged.
The next few days will be critical on all of this as negotiations over the Ukraine and border security package heat up. Just today, Biden had key House leaders at the White House to work on the impasse.
Who's up, who's down
Up: Greg Abbott.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the governor a rare re-hearing of the buoy barrier case he appeared to lose last month. Now instead of having to remove the barrier near Eagle Pass while the case is being heard, Abbott will get to keep them in place at least until May, when the new hearing is tentatively scheduled to start.
Down: Nikki Haley.
She was hoping for a second-place finish in Iowa to make the case that she has the momentum over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. She finished third. But she has a chance to rebound in New Hampshire next week where some polls have her neck and neck with former president Donald Trump. If she beats Trump there, she'll have South Carolina - her home state - on the horizon where she could really turn the nomination into a real race in time for Texas on March 5.
What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.
What else is going on in Texas
 Photo by: Christina Koci Hernandez /San Francisco Chronicle | | The federal approval comes after years of lawmakers in the GOP-led Legislature clashing over whether to fund the extension. | |
 Photo by: Robin Jerstad | | The governor is getting around a lack of voucher enthusiasm by focusing instead on public schools as a breeding ground for liberal ideas. | |
 Photo by: Evan Vucci, STF / Associated Press | | The senator had previously said he was waiting to see how the candidates fared in Iowa before making a call on an endorsement. | |
 Photo by: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer | | Former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving his post next week as interim police chief of the Aurora Police Department in Colorado. | |
 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer | | The Texas electric grid can learn many lessons from Winter Storm Heather, but not the ones oil and gas folks are pushing. | |
 Photo by: Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff Photographer | | Jacque Callanen has served as Bexar County's elections administrator since 2005, which is the last year that the Bexar County Election Commission met. | |
Pick of the day
Photo by: Getty Images
Primary season is fully upon us now. The Texas primary isn't until March 5, but vote-by-mail is already underway for many around the state. Our team is soliciting questions you may have about the primary. Click here to participate.
What else I'm reading
Talk in California about banning tackle football for kids under 12 didn't get far. Just last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a committee in the California Assembly passed a bill to ban tackle football for children under 12. But Gov. Gavin Newsom put an end to all that, telling Politico California that he would veto the bill if it ever makes it to his desk.
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