Medicaid funding restored to Texas hospitals
Nearly $12 billion in Medicaid funding to Texas hospitals will be restored after a nearly year-long stalemate between the state and the federal government ended, the Texas Standard reported.
Gov. Greg Abbott hailed the end to the impasse.
“This funding is a major victory for Texas patients,” Abbott said in a statement. “It authorizes nearly $12 billion for hospitals, physicians, rural clinics, nursing facilities, and behavioral health providers that serve patients in every region of our state.”
The funds were halted on September 1, with some hospitals losing as much as $27 million a day in Medicaid funding. The fund assists hospitals in closing the gap between what Medicaid pays them and actual costs incurred for treating low-income Texans.
The dispute began last year over concerns about how the state raises more than $4.2 billion in taxes to access those federal funds. Abbott had previously referred to the holdup as an economic “gun to the head.”
Republicans pouring money into Texas races
Political action committees associated with Republicans have begun pouring money into the high-profile U.S. Senate race between GOP nominee Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, the Houston Chronicle reported.
President Donald Trump’s Super PAC spent nearly $10 million on that race just in September, while a Senate Republican leadership PAC will spend more than $60 million in ads running this month. Elon Musk’s PAC is chipping in another $2 million for Paxton, who previously had been vastly outspent by Talarico.
“Nobody went into this race, if they had any sense at all, thinking that at the end of the day, Democrats would outspend Republicans,” said Matt Angle, longtime Texas Democratic operative. “That was never going to be the case.”
The polls indicate a tight race, with Talarico holding a slim lead. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.
Cornyn, Rove among those condemning French’s post
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn denounced GOP Railroad Commission nominee Bo French after he disparaged the racial diversity of fans shown celebrating the University of Texas team’s comeback win over top-ranked Ohio State, The Dallas Morning News reported.
French, a former Tarrant County Republican Party chair, has doubled down on his remarks. The nominee has repeatedly faced backlash for posts targeting racial and religious groups, often decrying an influx of “foreigners.”
Meanwhile, longtime GOP political consultant Karl Rove said he would vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal for railroad commissioner, only the second Democrat he has voted for. In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, he called French’s post “raw, uncut bigotry.”
Cornyn was later joined by House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Republican state Reps. Jeff Leach and Lacey Hull in criticizing French.
Patrick intervenes in ERCOT chief’s new contract
A multimillion-dollar contract extension for Pablo Vegas, the CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, was put on hold after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the amount “shocking,” the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The six-year contract approved last week by the ERCOT board would provide Vegas with a base salary of $1.16 million. With potential performance incentives and other benefits, the total annual compensation could approach $6.5 million. Patrick took to X to express his displeasure.
“During a time of increasing utility costs, this is not the time to give the CEO of ERCOT a multi-million-dollar pay raise on the backs of ratepayers,” he posted. “I am against this increase, and I think the legislature will agree that the amount is shocking.”
Hours later, the grid operator’s board put the deal on hold. State rules require the Public Utility Commission, which oversees ERCOT, to approve Vegas’ compensation.
Lawmaker threatens to abolish RRC over public comment spat
The head of the House oversight committee for the Texas Railroad Commission threatened to abolish the agency after Commissioner Wayne Christian refused to appear at a hearing, The News reported. He had been called to testify in response to the commission’s recent decision to eliminate public comment from its meetings.
Christian notified the committee’s head, state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, that a prior commitment precluded him from attending. Darby was not happy with Christian’s response.
“A sitting commissioner absconding from his agency’s oversight hearing is nothing more than a mockery of the Texas Legislature and the legislative process,” he said. He noted the Legislature could abolish the commission with a simple majority vote.
“The Legislature giveth and it taketh. That is not a threat. It is a fact,” Darby said. Christian called Darby’s comments “an attack on democracy.”
The commission decided in a split vote last August to remove public comment from its regular meetings. In its place, the staff would host “listening sessions.”
Cruz forges ahead with college sports bill
Despite being loudly booed during an ESPN “GameDay” interview at DKR stadium before the UT-Ohio State game, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said he is pushing forward with his bill to limit player transfers and endorsement deals, a measure he predicts will pass the Senate.
The News reported Cruz argues his legislation is needed to bring order to a chaotic environment.
“It cracks down on a booster in a back alley with a bag of cash and it ensures the system can remain competitive and vibrant,” Cruz said.
The measure would allow athletes one “free” transfer during their collegiate careers. It would place limits on any additional transfers, with exceptions for circumstances such as a coach leaving or an athletic program being terminated. Cruz said it has been endorsed by 24 conferences and professional sports leagues across several sports.
Opponents of the bill say the talk of “chaos” is exaggerated and is being used to infringe on the rights of student-athletes while financially benefiting schools, conferences and business interests connected to college sports.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.
