Texas Tribune
UT-Austin protests open rift among Jewish students
by By Ikram Mohamed, The Texas Tribune – 2024-05-31 05:00:00
SUMMARY: At the University of Texas at Austin, tensions have heightened between Jewish and Palestinian students following the Israel-Hamas war. Two friends, one Palestinian and one Jewish, engaged in discussions to foster understanding, but faced backlash. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted, leading to mass arrests, which some criticized as heavy-handed. Jewish students expressed feeling unsafe and polarized, with incidents of harassment reported. Faculty offered spaces for open dialogue to navigate these complex issues. Jewish and Palestinian poets emphasized the need for constructive conversations. Despite differing views, many students acknowledged the value of human rights and dialogue in peacebuilding efforts.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
In early April, Jadd Hashem and Elijah Kahlenberg sat at a table between the Texas Hillel's annual Israel Block Party at the University of Texas at Austin and a demonstration organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee. A sign taped at the front of their table read: “One Palestinian. One Jew. Ask us anything.”
For three and a half hours, Kahlenberg and Hashem talked to anyone who was interested about the Israel-Hamas war and the decades-long tensions in the Middle East. Most exchanges were cordial but toward the end a conversation got heated with a person who said she had survived the Oct. 7 attack Hamas launched on Israel.
Kahlenberg said a crowd of Israel supporters soon gathered around them, not just criticizing the two friends' views on the conflict but questioning his Jewishness. He said he was called a self-hating Jew and a Kapo, a term referring to Jewish inmates in concentration camps who were appointed to oversee other prisoners.
“Jadd is Palestinian, of course, he's gonna have these views and they're gonna be against it,” Kahlenberg said. “But for me, they were like, ‘oh, Elijah, this guy is a traitor.'”
Since tensions exploded on U.S. campuses in response to the Israel-Hamas war, some Jewish students at UT-Austin have urged state and university leaders to express their support for Israel while others have participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The rift has left many Jewish students with a wide range of views on the conflict feeling unsafe, highlighting the difficulty of holding discussions about the Middle East conflict at Texas universities.
On Oct. 7, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, attacked the Tribe of Nova music festival in Re'im, Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and taking 253 hostages. Israel responded with a siege on Gaza that has killed about 35,300 Palestinians and left over 79,000 injured.
The war sparked fierce pro-Palestinian demonstrations across U.S. campuses. At UT-Austin, hundreds of students walked out of class on April 24 to protest the siege on Gaza, leading to the arrest of 57 people after police ordered them to disperse. Five days later, 79 more people were arrested after protesters tried to set up an encampment on campus grounds.
Some students, faculty and free speech experts have criticized the university and law enforcement response as heavy-handed. UT-Austin officials defended their actions saying encampments are against university rules and some state leaders lauded the police crackdowns while blasting the demonstrations as antisemitic.
The protests have also triggered different feelings, reactions and opinions among Jewish students.
Levi Fox, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, said he was in his Jewish fraternity house on Oct. 9 when he got a call that one of his friends was among the victims of the Hamas attack.
“I collapsed to my knees crying,” he said. “To know someone that was murdered in such a brutal way … it gave me a whole new perspective on what's going on.”
Since then, Fox has participated in several counter-protests in response to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations. During a May 14 hearing before the Texas Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education to discuss the protests, Fox said he's had pennies thrown at him, a student told him to “go back to Germany” and a professor told him “they'll come after you and put you in the ovens next.” He said he gave the professor's name to senators but didn't want to share it publicly because the university is investigating the incident.
Fox told lawmakers some students have taken off their yarmulkes or hidden Stars of David hanging around their necks to avoid being harassed.
“When someone, of any faith, feels like they need to hide their faith, that is a failure on all of us,” Fox said. “State leaders have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can express their faith without fear.”
Fox said he felt the pro-Palestinian demonstrations were inherently antisemitic and applauded the university and law enforcement for their response.
“When you say, ‘There is only one solution, Intifada revolution,' you are saying that the only solution is a brutal and violent series of terrorist attacks targeted toward civilians,” Fox said. “You cannot blame the state of Texas and the university for working to ensure the safety of civilians when violent threats like that are made. That has no place here at UT-Austin or anywhere in the world for hate or violence.”
Barri Seitz, a UT-Austin sophomore, said she was also grateful for the swift action against the demonstrators. She said some people at smaller protests have called her slurs and told her “to go back to Poland.”
She said she believed protesting against Israel is antisemitic, stating that Judaism and Zionism are intrinsic parts of one another and that someone Jewish who doesn't support Israel is denying a large part of their identity.
Carla Robinson, a Jewish UT graduate student who's been protesting in support of Palestinians, said that statements like these have been hurtful and frustrating to hear. She said Israel and Zionism are not the same as Judaism.
“I think antisemitism is being weaponized to stifle criticism of the state of Israel and the genocide it's carrying out against Palestinian people,” Robinson said. “It makes antisemitism meaningless when you expand the definition in that way to include critique of Israel, which then makes it harder to address real antisemitism that's happening, along with Islamophobia and racism and sexism.”
Sam Law, a Jewish UT-Austin graduate student, said he was proud of participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and angered at the university's decision to call the police on their own students. He was among the protesters arrested at UT-Austin on April 29.
Law said many of his relatives were killed in concentration camps in Poland during World War II and that hearing those stories from his family made him empathize with Palestinians' suffering.
Many lawmakers and alumni have thanked UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell for his response to the protests on campus. A letter published by Alums for Campus Fairness, an alumni group that seeks to counter antisemitism and the “demonization of Israel” on college campuses, said the protests have “sought to silence Jewish students.”
Law said people like Harlan Crow — a GOP mega-donor and a UT-Austin alum who has been criticized for owning a collection of Nazi artifacts and was among the signatories of the Alums for Campus Fairness letter — are the ones that make him feel unsafe. He also condemned the university for allowing some speakers like Kate Hopkins, a far-right personality who has stirred controversy for echoing Nazi rhetoric and was invited by a student group to visit the campus in 2018.
Lawmakers, university officials and the alumni “can claim all they want that what they're doing is about protecting Jewish safety, but this is not true,” Law said. “The people who've made me feel unsafe are them.”
Difficult conversations
Aaron Sandel, a UT-Austin professor in anthropology who is Jewish, said he saw many Jewish students struggle to sort their thoughts and voice concerns about their safety in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Believing that complex feelings should be processed privately and with friends, he offered to facilitate an open discussion at his home one day in October. Sandel wanted to help students distinguish between feeling unsafe and uncomfortable, which he said are often confused.
“Discomfort should be reduced and addressed, and we don't want people feeling uncomfortable if it's stressing them out and distracting them. But discomfort can sometimes be a necessary part of thinking through difficult issues,” he said.
About 10 Jewish graduate students, faculty members and friends sat in Sandel's living room voicing different opinions and feelings about the Middle East conflict and the discomfort they have felt on campus.
While there were disagreements, Sandel said the conversation never turned tense. He said it was similar to a classroom discussion in which people disagree without becoming disrespectful.
Sandel believes the discussion allowed students to find others they could turn to when they need someone to confide in.
Law attended the discussion Sandel hosted and said it was one of the hardest conversations he's had. But he felt it helped attendees better understand each other's stances.
Kahlenberg, the student who set up a table with his Palestinian friend in April, said he founded the student group Atidna two years ago also in hopes of fostering an open dialogue about the Middle East conflict and advancing the idea that Jews and Arabs don't need to be enemies.
While Kahlenberg says Atidna is an apolitical organization, he and Hashem, the group's vice president and Kahlenberg's best friend, have participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations calling for a ceasefire.
Kahlenberg said he's felt less welcome in Jewish spaces lately because of his views. It's a feeling that has made him stay home rather than celebrate holidays with others in the Jewish community.
“I do not want to be in a holiday setting or in a Shabbat or adjacent setting where I have to justify why I think Palestinians deserve to live,” Kahlenberg said. “To me, that's not worth my time and not worth my safety. There are people that might be very abrasive to me being in that space, so there is always a risk of violence.”
Sitting in two lawn chairs on UT-Austin's campus, just days after police cracked down on two massive protests at the university, two visiting poets — Naomi Shihab Nye, who is Palestinian-American, and Edward Hirsch, who is Jewish-American — lamented how the divide over the Israel-Hamas war had led to a gulf of silence between students with opposing views on the conflict.
Chants like “From the river to the sea,” are commonplace in pro-Palestinian demonstrations but they can be polarizing and leave little room for understanding and compassion, Hirsch said.
“From the river to the sea” alludes to the stretch of land from the Jordan River on the eastern flank of Israel and the occupied West Bank to the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Pro-Palestinian activists say the chant advocates for peace and equality in the Middle East. But Jewish groups have described it as a call for the eradication of Israel.
“People are not using words more in this moment of catastrophe,” Shihab Nye said. “I haven't heard any eloquent talks from anyone on either side being exchanged or suggestions of dialogues.”
Shihab Nye said it's important to highlight the diverse perspectives within the protest movement.
“More needs to be made of Jewish people who are protesting for a ceasefire. I am profoundly grateful for that,” Shihab Nye said.
The conflict has also led some Jewish students to reflect on some of the core values of Judaism.
The highest principle in Judaism is called Pikuach Nefesh, which calls for the protection of life over all other religious considerations. Law said he was raised with this belief and that empathy as Jews doesn't end with other Jewish people. That's why he's continued to protest in support of Palestinians, he said.
Fox also reflected on the same commandment and said he's horrified at the loss of civilian life on either side of the conflict.
Students with opposing views on the war have acknowledged the value of dialogue during this time, despite how difficult it can be to talk with one another.
Most people Hashem and Kahlenberg spoke to during the Israel Block Party acknowledged the importance of basic human rights, no matter the stance they took on the issue. The pair hopes that more conversations can be had in the future and said this kind of dialogue is vital for peacebuilding on campus and beyond it.
“This is really how you break down the hate on campuses — by meeting the other — and I think many are recognizing that,” Kahlenberg said.
Sneha Dey contributed to this report.
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.
We've got big things in store for you at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Join us for three days of big, bold conversations about politics, public policy and the day's news.
The post UT-Austin protests open rift among Jewish students appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
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.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
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.
Just in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
The post UT-Austin offers probation to students arrested in protests appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
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
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.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
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.”
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.
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.
Just in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
The post Hurricane Beryl likely to hit Texas coast Monday appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
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.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
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.
Just in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
The post Michael McCaul seeks waiver to stay Foreign Affairs chair appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
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 News4 days ago
I-10 westbound from Beaumont to Houston reopens day after large crack prompted closure at Washington Boulevard
-
Texas News6 days ago
Body found below North State Highway 3 bridge, family used Find My Friends app to find him, League City PD says
-
Podcasts5 days ago
CHAD MAULDIN on Being A Talent Cultivator
-
The Center Square5 days ago
U.S. Supreme Court declines to rule whether social media feeds are free speech | National
-
Texas News6 days ago
Train collides with car carrying grandfather, 2 grandchildren on County 236 in Brazoria County, police say
-
Videos7 days ago
Tomball’s Asher Hong representing USA Men’s Gymnastics Team in 2024 Olympic Games
-
Local News4 days ago
Man recalls moment he was hit by Galveston PD officer in pool party brawl video
-
Podcasts5 days ago
Talkin’ Texas | Texans at the Olympics, Fresh Water Sharks, and Bats!