The Texas Tribune reports on the Senate's passage of the GOP reconciliation bill, which was backed by Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. United's Harry Godfrey talked with reporters about the Senate's version of the bill and how it threatens private investment, job growth, and energy prices in Texas.
WASHINGTON — Following a 26-hour marathon voting session and lengthy, late-night negotiations, the U.S. Senate has passed its version of Republicans’ landmark tax and spending bill with both Texas senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, voting for the legislation.
The upper chamber’s draft is all but certain to face headwinds as it heads back to the House, including from some Texas Republicans, who passed their own version with steeper cuts in late May.
The bill, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” includes a slew of GOP requests and President Donald Trump’s priorities, including cuts to Medicaid, changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that could place a higher spending burden on states and rollbacks of the clean energy tax credits first introduced in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Texas’ senators touted provisions they worked into the bill.
Cornyn pushed for the federal government to reimburse Texas for the billions it spent on Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature border security program, “Operation Lone Star,” under the Biden administration. The Senate package includes $13.5 billion in state reimbursement grants — up from $12 billion in the House version — with Texas getting the largest claim to the funds.
He also worked to eliminate a tax on select firearms and silencers and incorporated a provision that would ask the NASA administrator to consider relocating the Space Shuttle Discovery from Virginia to Houston.
Cruz also scored two major wins he has framed as integral to the bill’s long-term legacy, including a provision that would grant a $1,000 government-seeded investment account — branded as “Trump accounts” — to every American child. The money could be used for education expenses, a house down payment or starting a small business.
He also secured a $1,700 annual tax credit for individuals that contribute to nonprofits that grant scholarships to elementary and secondary school students, a framework supporters call “school choice” and that is similar to private school vouchers. Early Tuesday morning, Cruz and his fellow Republicans voted down a Democratic-led amendment attempting to remove the provision from the bill.
Texas is a top producer of wind and solar power in the nation, and efforts during the state legislative session to hamper the industry largely fell apart. State grid operators have warned that electricity demand is expected to grow significantly in coming years, a need that renewable energy advocates say solar and wind projects can quickly help meet.
But renewable energy trade associations and advocacy groups have been sounding the alarm about potential damage if federal lawmakers drastically alter or cut the credits, which they say generate billions in private sector and manufacturing investments; produce millions in revenue for communities and landowners; and keep consumer electricity costs low.
“This bill, if passed as currently drafted, will destroy projects in active construction and development, killing tens of thousands of jobs across Texas, stranding billions in investment and raising electricity prices at a time of rising (electricity) demand,” said Harry Godfrey, managing director with the industry association Advanced Energy United, early Monday evening.
In its current form, Roy has threatened to vote against the bill because it still didn’t go far enough. With a slim House majority and Democrats unanimously opposing the package, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, cannot afford to lose more than a few votes. This gives Roy and other individual members outsized leverage they could use to bring their priorities to fruition.
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