Texas’ Legislative Session Gets Underway Amid GOP Infighting

“There’s going to be a lot of pressure on [Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows] to protect these [30-odd] Republicans who supported him, but who will have to face the 2026 Republican primary. So Burrows will be pressed to deliver conservative legislation that those Republicans then can point to when they’re being challenged in 2026. And most of them will be challenged based on the argument that they voted for Burrows and therefore they effectively voted against the Republican caucus candidate in favor of the person backed by Democrats.”  — Mark P. Jones, Ph.D.

About the Episode

The 89th Texas legislative session began on Jan. 14 with Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) elected House speaker following a month-long battle among state Republicans. Why was the election so contentious, and how might Burrows’ speakership shape the rest of the session? Baker Institute fellow Mark P. Jones joined Edward M. Emmett, a colleague and four-term former Texas House member, to discuss the stakes and policy agenda ahead for lawmakers, including school vouchers, property taxes, and the border.

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 17, 2025. Subscribe and listen to “Baker Briefing” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Transcript

A full transcript of this episode is available here. This transcript was AI-generated and has not been through editorial review.

About ‘Baker Briefing’

The “Baker Briefing” podcast tackles the most critical foreign and domestic policy issues of the day in conversations with experts at the Baker Institute. Hosted by David M. Satterfield, director of the Baker Institute, new episodes are released weekly.

Certain episodes of “Baker Briefing” are recorded in front of a live audience at Rice University in Houston, Texas. You can attend live recordings by joining the Baker Roundtable, the Baker Institute’s membership forum.