Fight over Texas immigration law SB 4: This Week in Texas Politics

AUSTIN, Texas - This Week in Texas Politics included the tip off of March Madness, and in politics, we saw some slam dunks, some rebounds, and even a few bracket busters. 

RUDY KOSKI: Let's get the headlines now from our panel, and we'll start first with Brad Johnson with the Texan News. Brad, what's your headline? 

BRAD JOHNSON: Speakership. Game of Thrones is on. 

RUDY KOSKI: Brian Smith with Saint Edward's University. Brian, what's your headline? 

BRIAN SMITH: Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, there's trouble at the border. 

RUDY KOSKI: And political analyst Mark Wiggins, what's your headline for the week. 

MARK WIGGINS: The Ides of March bring the first coup attempt in the Texas House. 

RUDY KOSKI: Well, the Texas week started off with the new Texas immigration enforcement law, SB4 getting the green light and then a hard stop from the Supreme Court and then the Fifth Circuit of Appeals. Mark, what are you hearing about this legal whiplash has been going on? 

MARK WIGGINS: Rudy, I think this may ultimately head back to the Supreme Court. And then what happens is really anybody's guess. 

BRIAN SMITH: Mark was spot on because you have so much at play right now. And one is the precedents of Arizona versus the United States. More than a decade since that decision and a very different court that's moved to the right. 

RUDY KOSKI: Now here in Austin, Governor Greg Abbott said Texas will continue to charge migrants who cross between ports of entry with trespass, with or without SB4. Brad, you were at that event where the governor said that, he got a big response to that, right? 

BRAD JOHNSON: Throughout the last few months. And I'm sure continuing on this year, there's the fight in the court of public opinion. And I think the governor is absolutely winning that right now. 

RUDY KOSKI: Yeah, that issue really ramping up Thursday in El Paso, migrants overrunning the Texas National Guard, the New York Post posting images from that incident. And as that unrest was going on, President Biden was here in Texas not to see the border, but to attend fundraisers in Dallas and Houston. You know, Mark Biden is proving that Texas is a great ATM, even for Democrats who may not win the state race. 

MARK WIGGINS: Yeah, I don't think Democrats have any illusions about flipping Texas for Biden. Rudy. But, you know, the dysfunction and the infighting within the state Republican Party has a lot of Democrats talking about making big games down ballot in November.

RUDY KOSKI: Well, Governor Greg Abbott also doubled down cashing in on his vengeance tour, regarding school choice, he justified his efforts to unseat fellow Republicans by claiming polls show voters support school choice. The problem is, is that the same polls, those same polls, show people don't like vouchers. There's certainly a big difference between the two. But, Brian, it looks like, Abbott is still winning this messaging war, right? 

BRIAN SMITH: Right. There isn't support for specific vouchers in the aggregate, but the concept of school choice has more support. Abbott did a great job of endorsing and recruiting candidates who support his policy, and for him to get what he wants. He doesn't need a majority of Texans, just a majority of legislators. 

RUDY KOSKI: House Speaker Dade Phelan is among those House members being targeted because of vouchers and school choice and Paxton supporters targeting him. Now he has a formal challenger for his position as Speaker, with Tom Oliverson from the Houston area announcing that he is throwing his hat into the ring. Brad, is this one of those times when Phelan an ally is as a political Judas? Or is he just kind of, you know, doing a backup plan for when change does happen? 

BRAD JOHNSON: I think he sees a lane to run. And he jumped first. And, you know, that kind of sets the baseline for all future Phelan challengers that jump into this race. 

BRIAN SMITH: Yeah. They need to learn the lesson from the national GOP. That Speaker battle in Congress was miserable for the party. 

MARK WIGGINS: And the challenger in this case is is pretty closely connected to the lieutenant governor. I think that doesn't escape notice from the House membership. 

RUDY KOSKI: The Speaker pointed that out in a recent interview that he did this week. Now on Capitol Hill, Texas, Congressman Chip Roy spent the week blasting the new budget deal that just passed on Friday to avoid a government shutdown. That Bill has been was fast tracked with a whole lot of pork in it, a lot more pork than what you see in a South Austin barbecue joint. 

MARK WIGGINS: Well, Rudy, this bill is 70% defense spending. You know, at a time when the world is a tinderbox, and we all see it. And it includes a 5% raise for service members. You know, we know there are problems at the border. This would hire 2000 Border Patrol agents. So, you know, it's kind of must pass legislation. 

BRAD JOHNSON: Welcome to the new reality. Same as the old reality. We haven't, passed a budget without a continuing resolution since the 1990s, I think. 

BRIAN SMITH: And we're seeing as Chip Roy is we're actually finding his voice in Congress, and he's in a lot safer position than he was four years ago. So, he can be one of those people to throw those bombs against his own party. 

RUDY KOSKI: All right. Let's wrap up This Week in Texas Politics with one word for the week. And we'll start off with Brad. What's your word? 

BRAD JOHNSON: Rat race. 

MARK WIGGINS: Treachery. 

BRIAN SMITH: Calipari. 

RUDY KOSKI: A reference to Kentucky going down. All right. And that wraps up our Week in Texas Politics.