Across the country, Americans are bracing for a new, hostile political reality in 2025. The far-right won by a slim margin nationally, thanks to partisan gerrymandering and billionaire-funded disinformation. Texans are compounded by additionally having to prepare for another defensive fight here at home. Yet before the gavel strikes at noon on January 14, to convene the 89th Texas Legislative Session, battle lines within the Republicans’ own ranks have already been drawn, and Democrats including progressive elected officials are already feeling the frenzied pinch.

From the Texas House Speaker’s race to hundreds of pre-filed, controversial bills, Trump’s Texas party has clearly defined their authoritarian principles — ignoring decency, procedure, and bipartisanship by leading with an iron fist. The convict’s loyalists will target those with less political capital including people of color and unprotected immigrants, LGBTQ+ neighbors, working and middle classes, as well as Texas women. With their subjects in mind, the Lone Star State is set to become the right-wing’s deadly and expensive testing grounds. Their schemes include concentration camp-like migrant centers, restrictions on hospitals’ uses of life-saving abortion medication used in miscarriage care, propping up a taxpayer-funded, private school voucher scam, and even poisoning their own constituents by turning a blind eye on nuclear, uranium mining above South Texas aquifers. Meanwhile, Democrats are forming plans for damage control to mitigate the harm from the expanded majority of the largest Republican-led legislature in the country. 

Mark Lambie, El Paso Times

What Should We Expect From Republicans?

First, you're guaranteed the assault on our reproductive rights will continue to escalate. Freshman Waco Republican State Rep. Pat Curry has proposed to categorize carisoprodol, mifepristone, and misoprostol as schedule IV drugs. The latter two are key components in medically-necessary abortion procedures. House Bill 1339 clearly stretches the definition of schedule IV substances that are accepted for medical use, but are defined as having the potential for abuse, and thus are kept under lock and key through procedural delays. Those even without a medical degree (including Rep. Curry) could appreciate that bureaucracy is not ideal in a life-threatening situation. For example, Misoprostol is normally stocked in delivery rooms in the event of a hemorrhage — a moment when there’s no time for red-tape paperwork. HB 1339 is just more mega-rich inspired theater coming from an inexperienced lawmaker with zero experience in healthcare, but that doesn’t mean it won’t pass.

A young boy looks at a hanging effigy of a Black person placed by students in front of southern high school in September 1958, Cliff Guthrie, Associated Press

You should also brace for stripping public dollars away from local school classrooms and students. Governor Abbott is pressuring the Texas House to set in motion the next exodus from public schools to private schools, including those institutions who support Christian nationalism, against the long standing U.S. doctrine of separation of church and state. MAGA’s nearly predetermined flight from public schools historically mimics the decades that followed Brown v. Board of Education, which integrated Black and Brown students and saw white parents move their children to private schools. This supremist scam was largely fueled through campaign contributions ousting rural moderates by West Texas oil-billionaires Tim Dunn and Dan and Farris Wilks, but the voucher scam won’t be the only proposition you’ll have to foot the bill for. 

More Money, More Problems For You Caused by the Right

Those with money and influence (like the aforementioned oil and gas oligarchs who are on a texting spree as seen above) have now bought the votes to prop up more big business interests over the people. MAGA’s next polluting stance (or blind-eye) looks to support a for-profit nuclear power system, yet this power isn’t for you. These proposed nuclear plants are expected to be set up next to privately vested greenwashing carbon capture and crypto-mining facilities. And as you might know, nuclear power first requires vast uranium deposits to be slurped up in a means that is almost guaranteed to pollute major ground-water resources. It’s impossible to beautify these plans, radioactive components in millions of Texans’ drinking water.

Rep. John Bucy speaking at the front mic during the 88th Legislative Session. Mikala Compton, Austin American-Statesman

What is the Democratic Opposition Pushing?

On December 4, Democrats rallied behind a new Chairman, progressive Houston State Rep. Gene Wu, who believes his colleagues should vote for a House Speaker of their choosing, further invigorating a marginally less far-right Republican, State Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, to continue his bid for the House’s top spot. Yet, as in past sessions, no Republican party candidates seem promising on paper for progressives. Still, this hasn’t stopped Richardson Democrat State Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos from running for the position or progressives from filing meaningful legislation. Fort Bend County State Rep. Ron Reynolds wants the state to authorize and regulate the sale of cannabis for medical use. Collin County State Rep. Mihaela Plesa wants to give the legislature the power to override a veto from the governor. Williamson County State Rep. John Bucy wants to repeal the ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at public higher education institutions in Texas. And, State Senators José Menéndez, César J. Blanco, Molly Cook, Sarah Eckhardt, and Roland Gutierrez want to require facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to be maintained at no less than 65 degrees or more than 85 degrees fahrenheit. 

Rep. Donna Howard speaking at the front mic during the 88th Legislative Session.

While thousands of bills have already been filed, many common-sense measures may never even gain a vote or committee hearing. This short list of allied bills and the promise by progressives to fight for reproductive rights, setting pollution standards, and respecting the democratic voting process is heartfelt, but will be an uphill battle. This month, at a Texas Tribune Preview of the Lege forum, Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa and San Marcos State Rep. Erin Zwiener got to the real point. They plan to support ending corporate influence on government and setting up a non-partisan redistricting committee, effectively ending gerrymandering. This is opposed to Republicans who have proposed an Electoral College-like system for statewide offices. We can’t stress enough that the root problems in Austin are based upon MAGA corporate welfare, and you have a big part to play to end their greed. 

What’s Next:

• Keep an ear out for our upcoming podcast episodes highlighting Democratic lawmakers in Texas and at the federal level, ahead of the legislative sessions! Listen here for guests will include U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, State Rep. Ana Maria Ramos-Rodriguez, State Rep. Mihaela Plesa and many more.
• Campaigns come and go, but our progressive movement is forever. An authoritarian extremist ruling party deserves a strong, united opposition. Stay with us, invest in progressive messaging to mobilize our communities. 
• Learn how to contact your state representative, using the Who Represents Me page to find out. You can call their number listed on their member page or fill out their email form, which goes directly to an inbox that will be read by a member of a legislator’s staff. 
• Take a refresher on why school vouchers are a scam! Our blog and podcast from the last session covers this topic with some background information to help give you messaging for your water-cooler/ family group text/ happy hour conversations.