Lt. Gov. Patrick says Abbott is ‘vice presidential’
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Texas is at a “historical moment,” and he called Thursday on conservatives at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s annual summit in Austin to push for Republican candidates, school voucher legislation and a crusade to crack down on illegal border crossings.
“This country is in as bad of shape as I’ve ever seen in my entire lifetime,” Patrick said during the luncheon at the AT&T Conference Center on the University of Texas campus.
Patrick, in lambasting President Joe Biden, praised Gov. Greg Abbott for his speech Wednesday to the conservative think tank in which he emphasized the state’s immediate need to quell illegal crossings into Texas from Mexico and to continue making arrests along the border regardless of the legal status of Senate Bill 4 – the state’s sweeping immigration law that has bounced between federal courts in recent days as judges weigh whether to keep a temporary hold on the law while constitutional challenges to the measure are settled.
“Joe Biden, get out of our way,” Patrick shouted to the crowd of lawmakers, lobbyists and policy wonks. “Texas can close the border and secure it immediately.”
Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government has long held full authority over the country’s international borders.
Complimenting and building upon Abbott’s remarks from a day earlier, Patrick hinted that the governor’s speech and policies showcase his political prowess, to the point of nodding that Abbott could join the 2024 ticket as former President Donald Trump’s running mate.
“I thought it was one of the best
speeches he’s ever given,” Patrick said of Abbott. “It was very vice presidential.”
When Abbott took the stage Wednesday, his focus centered on the border, expressing a concern that migrants who have crossed illegally into the country through Texas could mount a terrorist attack, echoing worries raised by FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“You cannot have the number of people coming across the border who are terrorists and not expect anything different,” Abbott had said Wednesday.
Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 11 that he is “very concerned” that a human smuggling network with ties to ISIS terrorists is crossing undetected into the country at the southern border, though he cautioned that investigators had not uncovered any specific plot.
In a lighter moment Thursday, Patrick, who has Trump’s ear in Texas as he has led the former president’s three campaign efforts in the Lone Star State, said he is in line for a promotion if Abbott jumps into the national race.
“And when he’s out of state, I make his salary,” Patrick joked with the crowd about taking over the governorship. “If he’s on the ticket, it’s $100,000 a year the rest of 2024, no matter what happens.”
On the legal pingpong over SB 4, which was active for about nine hours Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its previous order halting the law’s enforcement before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Tuesday night again paused the immigration policy, Abbott called it “like watching a tennis match,” a sentiment Patrick echoed.
“And Senate Bill 4, I know it’s going up and down and all around,” Patrick said. “But when the Supreme Court voted 6-3, that’s a very good sign because that bill will eventually go back to the Supreme Court.”
The U.S. Justice Department and several migrant rights groups have challenged the constitutionality of SB 4 – a Texas immigration law that would authorize state and local law enforcement officials to detain, arrest and even deport people suspected of entering Texas from Mexico without legal authorization.
The 5th Circuit, after again issuing a hold on SB 4, held an impromptu hearing on the case Wednesday morning but took no action, leaving the law temporarily blocked.
Federal prosecutors have argued that the law is out of the bounds of state authority and seeks to usurp federal power.
Texas school voucher bill remains top GOP priority
Despite Patrick’s call to action to advance conservative policies in what he called an effort to save democracy, the standing ovation during his speech came when he promised to pass a “school choice” bill when the Legislature reconvenes in 2025.
School choice, also known as school vouchers, is a program that would use state money to pay for private schooling.
The proposal, which Texas lawmakers, especially in the House, have rejected over decades, has become the GOP’s political rallying cry during the current state election cycle as several incumbents have fallen victim to Abbott and Patrick’s push to endorse and promote pro-voucher candidates.
“The Senate wants to work with the House. It should be easy,” Patrick said. “We’ve got a Republican governor, Republican lieutenant governor and a Republican speaker, that should be easy.”
Without mentioning House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, by name – who quickly became Patrick’s political enemy over disagreements on impeaching embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton on 20 charges and not leading the lower chamber to advance school choice – the lieutenant governor, who also leads the Senate, said a voucher bill needs to be passed, potentially at the sacrifice of other bills.
“It is time for the parents of Texas to have the right to send their child to a school of their choice,” Patrick said to increasing applause from the friendly audience, as he threatened to not pass another bill in the Legislature until school choice advances.
In another Texas House development, Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, announced that he would be challenging Phelan for the chamber’s speakership in 2025. He said the challenge was necessary due to Phelan continuing the House’s long tradition of giving the minority party some committee chairmanships, holding a vote in the chamber in which members overwhelming sided with impeaching Paxton, and for the leader’s inability to pass a school choice proposal.
Paxton, who was accused by the House of myriad acts of misconduct, including obstruction of justice and bribery, was ultimately acquitted of wrongdoing, mostly along party lines, in the Senate, with Patrick presiding over the impeachment trial.
Beyond vouchers, Patrick identified efforts to bolster the state’s electric grid, pass additional border security measures and to pare down property taxes as priorities heading into the 2025 legislative session in January.
“The Senate wants to work with the House. It should be easy. We’ve got a Republican governor, Republican lieutenant governor and a Republican speaker, that should be easy.” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick