Texas Tribune
Texas secessionists feel more emboldened than ever
by Robert Downen, The Texas Tribune – 2023-11-15 06:00:00
SUMMARY: The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), founded in 2005, held its first conference in Waco as part of its push for Texas independence, dubbed “TEXIT.” The movement has gained momentum, evidenced by reaching over half of the required 100,000 signatures to securely place a non-binding secession referendum on the Texas Republican primary ballot. Advocates envision a prosperous, tax-free, and regulation-lite independent Texas. However, experts denounce the secession as illegal, unconstitutional, and likely disastrous, echoing Texas' troubled history as an independent republic. The independence campaign continues to draw support from right-wing groups and conservative politicians, despite criticisms of its feasibility and warnings from historians about the Republic of Texas's past failures.
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WACO — Standing in front of a massive state flag on Saturday, Claver Kamau-Imani outlined his utopian vision of a Nation of Texas that he believes is just on the horizon.
No taxes or Faucis, no speed zones or toll roads. No liberals, no gun laws. No windmills, no poor people. A separate currency, stock market and gold depository. “Complete control of our own immigration policy.” World-class college football, a farewell to regulators. And unthinkable, unimaginable wealth.
“We are going to be so rich,” he chanted. “We're gonna be rich. We are gonna be rich. We. Are. Going. To Be. Rich! … As soon as we declare independence, we're going to be wealthy. I personally believe that our personal GDP will double in five to seven years.”
“The independence of Texas is good for humanity as a whole,” he added to cheers.
Kamau-Imani, a Houston-based preacher, was among 100 or so people who spent the weekend at the Waco Convention Center for the first conference of the Texas Nationalist Movement, which since 2005 has advocated for the Lone Star State to break away from the United States — a “TEXIT,” as they call it.
Supporters of the movement said they are more energized and optimistic than ever about the prospect of an independent Texas, and pointed to appearances or support from current and former lawmakers — including state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, who spoke at the event — as evidence that their movement is far from fringe. The get-together also came as TEXIT supporters celebrated what they believe is crucial momentum: Days before the meeting, the Texas Nationalist Movement announced that it was more than halfway to the roughly 100,000 signatures needed to put a non-binding secession referendum on the Texas Republican primary ballot.
Though they might not cross that threshold by the Dec. 1 deadline, TEXIT supporters nonetheless hailed it as a clear sign of progress.
“We're getting there,” Kamau-Imani said to cheers from the crowd. “60,000 signatures is nothing to sneeze at. We're going to get to 100,000. Our vote is going to be on the ballot. And we are going to win!”
The movement for an independent Texas is not new. In the 1990s, a group called the Republic of Texas argued that the state was never legally admitted into the United States and, thus, was still its own nation. After splintering, the movement culminated in 1997 in a weeklong standoff between police and a secessionist leader who had taken a couple hostage in West Texas. The man, Richard McLaren, believed that Texas had been illegally annexed by the federal government. He remains in prison.
Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, speaks to a crowd at TEXIT in Waco, on Nov. 11, 2023. Miller founded the organization in 2005, and spoke to attendees during an event titled “Why Texas is a Nation.”
Credit:
Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune
In 2005, Daniel Miller, a Nederland-based tech consultant and sixth-generation Texan, created the Texas Nationalist Movement, aiming to advance the secessionist cause through more peaceful means. Since then, he has been the face of the movement, arguing that Texas must break free from its stranglehold by the federal government and the “globalists we detest.” Miller argues that Texas is a “stateless nation,” not unlike that of the Kurds, the ethnic group that's native to modern-day Syria, Turkey and Iraq and has for years sought independent statehood.
He claims that Texas — and Texans — have all the same trappings: Distinct culture (“Texans recognize internally that we are something unique,” he told the crowd on Saturday); distinct history (“‘Come And Take It' is more than a bumper sticker”); Distinct economic and political philosophies (“Leave us alone… and for love of Pete, government, stay out of my pocket”); Demarcated territory (Texas-shaped waffle makers, Miller joked); and a claim to self rule, which Miller argues is outlined in Article 1, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution.
“Texas is a nation in every sense of the word,” he said on Saturday.
For years, experts have thrown cold water on Miller's movement, saying that secession is patently illegal and unconstitutional, and would be economically catastrophic for the United States and Texas alike. (Miller vociferously disagrees, arguing that there is no constitutional ban on secession and that the post-Civil War court case often cited by experts — Texas v. White — is also unclear on the issue).
Walter Buenger, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin and chief historian at the Texas State Historical Association, said the movement's modern supporters have sanitized Texas' brief, nine-year stint as an independent nation from 1836 until 1845, which came after it was initially denied entry to the United States because of its support for slavery.
“It was a disaster,” Buenger said. “They couldn't get their taxes right. They couldn't defend themselves. They couldn't get a rational foreign policy. It was a disaster, and I think it would again be a total disaster.”
The movement, however, continues to gain traction amid growing political polarization and distrust in American institutions. The Texas Nationalist Movement's Facebook page currently has 210,000 followers, and a long list of Texas GOP figures have either endorsed the movement or flirted with its ideas.
In 2022 alone, three conservative primary challengers to Gov. Greg Abbott – including former state Sen. Don Huffines and former Texas GOP Chair Allen West — agreed to participate in a town hall held by the Texas Nationalist Movement; after failing in 2016 and 2020, delegates at the Republican Party of Texas' annual convention successfully added a plank to the party platform that called for a voter referendum on secession; and the Texas Nationalist Movement announced that more than 100 officeholders and candidates, including Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, had signed a pledge to support secession if voters do.
In 2021, during his last term as a state representative, Kyle Biedermann introduced a bill to create a referendum election on whether Texans should create a joint legislative committee “to develop a plan for achieving Texas independence.” Biedermann recently announced his intention to run against incumbent state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, and spoke to the crowd about continuing to push for Texas independence through legislative means.
Credit:
Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune
Last week's TEXIT conference also featured prominent right-wing groups such as True Texas Project, a prominent mobilization group for right-wing candidates and movements with ties to West Texas oil billionaires. And the event's lineup included Hall, the Edgewood senator, who discussed “securing” Texas' elections and power grid, and Kyle Biedermann, a former state representative who in 2021 proposed putting a referendum on secession to voters.
Biedermann is running for House District 19 against freshman state Rep. Ellen Troxclair R-Lakeway.
Speaking on Saturday, Biedermann framed Texas independence as part of a divine plan to preserve state culture.
“We're going out there in the name of God,” he said. “We're going out there in the name of Texas.”
Hall did not respond to requests for comment. Biederman promised to refile his secession legislation, should he win reelection. In an interview, he also framed the bill not as an outright endorsement of TEXIT, but as a bipartisan discussion of what it would look like to leave the United States altogether.
“This is just a debate, a discussion,” he said. “It is not a vote to leave…. It's not political.”
Other Republicans have been critical of the movement, however. After former Royse City Rep. Bryan Slaton, who was expelled from office in May, filed a bill this year to put a secession referendum to voters, Plano Rep. Jeff Leach called the bill “the very definition of hypocritical and seditious treason.” The bill had no traction in the House. But a TEXIT supporter, Morgan McComb, later sued Leach for defamation over the comments. The suit was dismissed in August and, last week, Leach requested in a motion that McComb cover $90,000 in attorneys fees.
An uphill climb
In the hallway and scatttered meeting rooms adjacent to where Biedermann spoke, attendees were similarly high on the prospects for an independent Texas. For three days, they attended panels on “affirming Texas culture” through strong borders and “Texas Token” cryptocurrency. They intently listened to speeches on the grave threat of socialism and “three-letter agencies” like the FBI and ATF.
They recoiled at warnings from speakers about the “climate cult coming for your car” and “killswitches” that would allow the government to control their vehicles at will. They cheered as an attorney who was outside the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection regaled them with stories of his legal battles against online “censorship,” Facebook and TEXIT critics like Leach. And they took notes as ultraconservative activists explained how to remove books from public libraries or oust Democrats from office via obscure legal challenges.
Packed in a small exhibit hall between amateur knife traders, book publishers and essential oil sellers, they commiserated in their intense distrust of government – a sentiment that they said has become more normalized since the COVID-19 pandemic, to the boon of their movement.
“There's much more excitement now,” Steve Ravet, chair of the Libertarian Party of Hays County said as he manned his booth, passing out treatises on Libertarian economic policies and buttons to “FREE ROSS” Ulbricht, the Austin native who is currently serving a life sentence for running the online black market, Silk Road.
Julie McCarty, the founder of the True Texas Project, speaks to a crowd in front of a slide with images of people criminally charged for their involvement in the Jan. 6 riot, during the Saturday closing event of TEXIT in Waco, on Nov. 11, 2023.
Credit:
Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune
For years, Ravet has pushed for Texas secession, hitting gun and trade shows to help garner the 100,000 signatures needed to put a referendum to Texas Republican primary voters. Even a few years ago, he said, only about one in five people agreed with the idea — a far cry from today, when he said about four in five people are at least somewhat supportive.
Like others, Ravet chalked the growing support up to a broader discontent with the U.S. government — specifically under President Joe Biden and the socialist, dictatorial regime that many TEXIT supporters claim he presides over.
“They want us to go to them for everything,” Carlton Stovall, a 75-year-old retired corrections officer, said of the government. “They want us dependent on them, to have to go to them and say ‘Mother, may I?'”
Beyond grievances about federal overreach and corporate welfare, though, few attendees offered concrete details on what a new Texas nation would look like, or how it would operate or confront the many intractable economic, cultural or political problems that could follow. The prevailing wisdom was straightforward: Unencumbered by regulations and federal mandates, Texas' massive economy — particularly its oil and gas sectors – would thrust the state into a utopian state of prosperity, peace and stability.
Experts say it's a much easier sell in theory than in practice. Roughly one-third of Texas' annual budget is supported by federal funds, according to the budget and policy nonprofit Every Texan. And, upon breaking from the United States, experts note that Texas would immediately have to supplement key programs like social security.
“To replace the government services we rely on, the nation of Texas would have to find a way to get an additional nine thousand dollars or so per person living here — possibly through income or sales taxes,” Eva DeLuna, a state budget analyst at Every Texan, told Texas Monthly last year. “For a two-person household, that's eighteen thousand dollars coming out of your pocket.”
In an interview, Miller acknowledged that secession would be a steep hill to climb. But he was firm in his belief that Texans should have the right to make that decision.
At a Veteran's Day parade that snaked past the TEXIT convention on Saturday, Miller's fellow Texans were less convinced. While some said they supported the idea in practice – “because America has become a crapfest,” as one man put it — others said they feared the unintended consequences of such a move. Many of those in opposition were veterans who, despite their many disagreements with their neighbors and issues with the government more broadly, resolved to continue fighting for their country rather than simply leave it.
“We used to be a stronger nation, but remaining is a better choice,” said Preston Kirk, a 78-year-old from a military family who also served in the U.S. Army. “There is strength in numbers. If we all hold hands, we will get across the street more safely.”
Others agreed.
“I supported and defended the constitution,” said Miguel Valverge, a 50-year-old who served in numerous military conflicts, including during the Iraq war. “I was born in America. And I will die in America.”
A block away, someone waved the Confederate flag as a truck blasting Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the U.S.A.” rolled past.
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The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Texas Tribune
UT-Austin offers probation to students arrested in protests
by By Asad Jung, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 17:44:44
SUMMARY: The University of Texas at Austin is disciplining students arrested during pro-Palestinian protests in April by offering “deferred suspension,” allowing students to avoid suspension by proving educational growth. Deferred suspension requires students to take an exam on university rules and avoid appealing the decision. Some students, like Ari Lenahan, see this as a relief compared to harsher penalties faced by peers at other universities. Over 130 protesters were arrested, but Travis County Attorney Delia Garza declined to pursue criminal trespassing charges. The university's heavy-handed response has sparked criticism from students, faculty, and free speech advocates.
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The University of Texas at Austin has begun disciplining students who were arrested in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in April, scolding them for their actions but offering them a path to avoid suspension.
In letters sent out to students this week, first reported by KUT, university officials said it would be appropriate to suspend them for their actions during the protests but would give them the option to take “deferred suspension” instead, a form of probation that would allow students to remain in class and keep the disciplinary action from appearing on their final transcripts.
“Recognizing our commitment to educational growth, we want to offer you an alternative path to avoid suspension by proving that you have learned from this experience,” reads one of the letters obtained by The Texas Tribune.
Students who choose deferred suspension must agree to take an exam testing their knowledge of the university's rules and agree not to appeal the decision. The status would be active until July 7, 2025.
Those who decline that option would be suspended, the letter says. Students may also appeal the disciplinary sanctions through a university hearing.
Ari Lenahan, a UT-Austin student set to graduate in December, said he was relieved the university offered him deferred suspension since students at other universities across the country are facing harsher punishments after participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He said it may be the best choice for him since he aims to graduate this year.
“It's a lot clearer where I stand now, at least in the university's eyes,” he said.
Lenahan still has a hold on his account preventing him from registering for classes in the fall but said the letter he received Wednesday states any holds will be removed once his case is resolved.
Anne-Marie Jardine, a recent graduate, received a sanction letter concerning her involvement in an April 24 pro-Palestinian demonstration. Jardine was told she would be under deferred suspension for one year if she were to re-enroll at UT-Austin. Jardine said she hasn't received her official diploma from the university yet.
Many other students under investigation have not yet been informed about how the university plans to move forward with their cases. Sam Law, a PhD candidate who was arrested on April 29, said that he expects the university will contact him soon.
More than 130 protesters were arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on UT-Austin's campus in late April. In resolute efforts to dispel the protesters, law enforcement at the time deployed pepper spray and flash-bang explosives and charged students with horses. State troopers were deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott to help quash the protests and had a hand in the arrests.
Those arrested were charged with criminal trespassing but Travis County Attorney Delia Garza declined to pursue those charges.
In the aftermath of the protest, many students, faculty and free speech advocates questioned UT-Austin's heavy-handed response to the protests and criticized state GOP leaders' support of the arrests. Just a few years ago, Abbott had championed state legislation that protected free speech on college campuses, leading free speech advocates to ask who gets to enjoy free speech protections in Texas.
UT-Austin leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to carry out discipline against students who violated campus policies. Seniors in the class of 2024 were afraid their diplomas would be withheld, though they were permitted to join graduation ceremonies in the spring.
Sneha Dey contributed to this story.
Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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Texas Tribune
Hurricane Beryl likely to hit Texas coast Monday
by By Emily Foxhall, Berenice Garcia and Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 16:47:07
SUMMARY: Texans are being urged to prepare for Hurricane Beryl, expected to make landfall as a Category 1 or 2 storm along the Texas coast on Monday. Currently crossing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Beryl could hit anywhere from northern Mexico to the mid-Texas coast. Officials stress vigilance and preparation, especially for those along the Gulf coast, and advise stocking up on essentials like food and water. Emergency measures include distributing sandbags and readying evacuation plans. Beryl, an unusually strong early-season storm, has already caused significant Caribbean damage, with forecasters predicting a highly active hurricane season exacerbated by climate change.
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Texans need to prepare for Hurricane Beryl, which is likely to make landfall on the state's coast as a Category 1 or 2 storm on Monday, state emergency officials said.
The record-setting storm was moving across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, leaving forecasters still unsure exactly where along the Texas coast will see the worst rainfall and wind.
As Beryl left behind a trail of destruction across Caribbean islands, state officials urged Texans along the entire Gulf coast to pay close attention and prepare for a dangerous storm, particularly people vacationing during the July 4 holiday weekend.
“Everyone along the coast should be paying attention to this storm,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference in Austin. Patrick is serving as acting governor as Gov. Greg Abbott travels in Asia on an economic development trip.
Residents should be gassing up their vehicles and making sure they have food and water for themselves and their pets, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said.
“A lot of people are out having fun right now, and that's a good thing, and we want them to continue to do that, but we also want them to prepare,” Kidd said. “We need a prepared community, not a panicked community.”
Boarded windows at the H-E-B Plus! grocery store in Brownsville on July 5, 2024.
Credit:
Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune
Officials in the Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi have been distributing thousands of sandbags to help people prepare for potential flooding. South Texans have been eager for rain because the two major reservoirs on the Rio Grande have reached near or record lows in June.
Forecasters on Friday expected Beryl to make landfall anywhere from northern Mexico to the mid-Texas coast. The storm appeared likely aimed for South Texas but experts warned its path could shift north to Corpus Christi or Matagorda Bay.
Tropical storm-level winds would likely arrive Sunday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. Areas from Brownsville to Corpus Christi faced the greatest wind threat under the current forecast.
Heavy rain could begin Sunday and last through Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center predicted four to eight inches to fall along the South Texas coastline, with higher amounts in some spots, and up to six inches from Corpus Christi to Matagorda Bay. Forecasters expected the storm to slow over land, which would increase the risk of flooding.
Rip currents and high seas starting late Friday will make coastal conditions dangerous.
In the Rio Grande Valley, officials were preparing for possible flooding.
The eastern part of Hidalgo County tends to be hit the hardest during heavy rains, but the county was taking steps to mitigate flooding there, said Ricardo Saldaña, Hidalgo County's emergency management coordinator. Officials have placed water pumps near flood-prone areas and worked with contractors to prevent flooding at drainage project sites by covering up excavation holes.
Saldaña warned residents to make their own preparations by stocking up on food and water, preparing an emergency kit, and making arrangements with friends and family to relocate if necessary.
Sandbags at a county facility in Brownsville on July 5, 2024.
Credit:
Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. recommended that people in recreational vehicles leave county parks.
“If you don't feel safe, evacuate,” said Tom Hushen, Cameron County's emergency management coordinator.
If there is flooding, Hushen said they were prepared to mobilize fire trucks and ambulances to help people evacuate. But high winds could pose another threat. Winds of more than 90 miles per hour could cause those vehicles to topple over. In that scenario, county officials would have to deploy larger vehicles like dump trucks.
Hushen said any power outages would prompt the opening of emergency shelters. He also advised residents to tie down any loose items in their yards and to bring in all patio furniture because high winds could turn those objects into projectiles.
“Listen to the warnings,” Hushen advised residents. “Things could change at a moment's notice.”
Beryl has astounded meteorologists with its strength so early in the summer. Warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures helped Beryl rapidly strengthen into a Category 4 storm in late June — becoming the first recorded Category 4 storm to form in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Beryl strengthened into a Category 5 and tore across the Caribbean, causing devastation in Grenada and Jamaica. It pushed onto the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday as a Category 2 storm.
“Beryl is so out of place historically given how early in the season it is and how strong it got,” said Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza, who helps write a blog on tropical weather called The Eyewall. “Typically you don't see that sort of thing until August — not the end of June, beginning of July.”
Federal forecasters expect this hurricane season, which began June 1, to be a bad one. They predicted to see 17 to 25 named storms form, which was more than they had ever forecast before a season's start. They believed four to seven of those would be Category 3 storms or stronger.
Climate change driven by people burning fossil fuels is causing oceans to warm and makes hurricanes more likely to be stronger. Scientists also say climate change may make rapid intensification of storms more likely — as happened with Beryl.
“To look at a satellite on June the 30th or July the 1st and to see a storm of Beryl's magnitude is almost unbelievable,” said Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert for WPLG TV in Miami.
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
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The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Texas Tribune
Michael McCaul seeks waiver to stay Foreign Affairs chair
by By Isaac Yu, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 05:00:00
SUMMARY: U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul seeks a waiver to extend his chairmanship of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. During his term, McCaul, a Republican from Austin, led efforts to ban TikTok, supported Tibetan self-determination, and condemned the Chinese spy balloon. He also played a crucial role in passing a bipartisan Ukraine aid bill and has been active on global issues, including Ukraine and Taiwan. McCaul aims to maintain U.S. strength abroad amid growing isolationism in his party. Facing a six-year term limit, he needs special permission to continue, with several colleagues aiming for his position. His leadership's fate will be decided by the Republican Steering Committee.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul isn't quite ready to give up his gavel.
In his two years as chair of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Austin Republican has been busy; he spearheaded the charge to ban TikTok, authored one resolution on Tibetan self-determination and led another condemning the infamous Chinese spy balloon. Just last month, he helped shoulder a bipartisan Ukraine aid bill through Congress over many colleagues' loud objections. He's also traveled the globe, shaking hands with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, receiving a blessing from the Dalai Lama in India, and gifting Taiwan President Lai Ching Te with a cowboy hat.
To keep his leadership post on one of the most coveted committees in Washington, he'll need special permission, having hit his six-year term limit. Several colleagues are already gunning to replace him.
McCaul confirmed last week that he would indeed seek a waiver to serve another term as top Republican on his committee, which would need approval from a steering committee and then the full House Republican caucus.
“It's not time to change horses right now,” McCaul said in an interview. “It's a dangerous time where the world is on fire.”
If his quest is successful, McCaul pledges to keep supporting key allies around the globe and stay aggressive on adversaries like Russia and China. If not, defense hawks in Washington could lose a powerful voice in charge just as the GOP prepares to redefine its approach to foreign policy under a potential second Trump administration.
Closing out his twentieth year in Congress, McCaul is well-connected and one of the most experienced members of the Texas delegation, having chaired the Homeland Security Committee from 2013 to 2019. The Foreign Affairs Committee under his leadership has been the most productive House committee this term, his office said, with 67 measures and 18 bills passed by the full chamber.
McCaul is making the case that his relationships on the Hill — including a friendship with Speaker Mike Johnson that helped push Ukraine aid over the finish line — justify him staying on an extra term.
Johnson had voted against sending aid to Ukraine before becoming speaker, part of a growing wing of conservatives who believed foreign aid came at the expense of funding for border security. McCaul, a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, helped sway Johnson's thinking and the speaker ultimately threw his support behind a package to send $60 billion in aid to boost Ukraine's arsenal against Russia.
The decision was opposed by a majority of Republicans and drew the ire of hardline conservatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia, who filed a motion to vacate the speaker, which failed.
“I think I feel compelled to do it not for myself, but I don't think anyone would be able to do what I do or shepherd the [Ukraine] supplemental the way I was able to,” McCaul said.
McCaul has also been a leading China antagonist this term, leading an effort to force the sale of TikTok to an American company. His visits with Taiwanese leaders and the Dalai Lama, who China views as a separatist threat, have drawn strong condemnation and sanctions from Beijing.
His efforts on Ukraine, Taiwan and elsewhere are linked by a desire to project U.S. strength abroad, even as the isolationist wing of his party grows.
“If we abandoned Ukraine and allowed [Vladimir] Putin to take over Ukraine and threaten Eastern Europe, that would be a big mistake, and it would send a message to Chairman Xi [Jinping] that Taiwan's fair game,” McCaul said.
House Republicans set six-year term limits for committee chairs, including years spent as ranking member when the party is the minority. The GOP last voted to keep the term limits at the beginning of the current term.
Waivers are rare. Only one was granted last session, to Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, who stayed an extra term chairing the House Education and Workforce Committee. Before Foxx, the last waiver was granted in 2012, to former Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.
McCaul's fight comes as Texan influence in the House is on the decline. The state delegation, which includes more Republicans than any other state, will see the retirements of Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, who stepped down from her powerful perch as Appropriations chair, and Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Denton, who will give up the Rules Committee gavel less than a year after gaining it.
Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, will remain the top Republican on the Budget Committee. And Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, is currently the only Republican running for the top spot on the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Committee assignments are determined by the Republican Steering Committee, made up of party leadership and regional representatives, and then approved by the full conference. The 36-member Steering Committee, which always includes at least two Texans, has been stingy with waivers in the past, even when considering chairs like McCaul who have spent most of their time in the minority.
The decision could depend in part on how McCaul's committee feels about his leadership. Foxx had the support of every Republican on her committee in seeking a waiver, including from the next-highest ranking Republican who would have replaced her.
None of McCaul's 26 Republican colleagues on Foreign Affairs have made endorsements yet, but at least three members — Ann Wagner of Missouri, the committee's vice chair, Darrell Issa of California and Joe Wilson of South Carolina — have already confirmed they are running against McCaul for the top spot. The committee includes three fellow Texans: Reps. Nathaniel Moran of Tyler, Keith Self of McKinney and Ronny Jackson of Amarillo, none of whom responded to requests for comment.
It's not immediately clear whether any of McCaul's announced rivals would diverge greatly from his policy positions, and all three supported foreign aid packages for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this year.
Matthew Choi contributed to this report.
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The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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