Texas’ political influence weakens under the Trump administration

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For generations, Texans have shaped the direction of politics and policymaking on the national stage, producing presidents, House speakers, Cabinet members, and numerous members of Congress who have become influential figures in Washington.

But its influence has waned in recent years, a trend that is likely to continue next year when Donald Trump returns to the White House and the next Congress is sworn in.

On paper, Texas appears poised to flex its political muscle by sending more Republicans to Congress than any other state after an election that gave Republicans control of both houses of Congress. Additionally, some of Texas’ most prominent elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton, are close allies of the president-elect.

But so far, Mr. Trump has sought early cabinet and senior appointments elsewhere, in some cases passing on Texans who were among them. He has tapped several Florida allies to top positions, including secretary of state and attorney general, and established his hometown as the center of Republican politics and Trumpworld. Texas has fewer direct ties to President Trump’s orbit, with only one major appointment being former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe, whom Trump nominated to head the CIA.

This means that many key roles have been filled by Texans, including former Governor Rick Perry, who led the U.S. Department of Energy, and Rex Tillerson, a Texas energy executive who was President Trump’s first secretary of state. This is in contrast to his first term in office.

In Congress, the 25 Republicans representing Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives will lose key speakerships next year, potentially reducing their influence due to a lack of long-term Texans to replace them. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, two of the longest-serving Republicans on the delegation, will relinquish the gavel on the influential House Foreign Affairs Committee after violating the party’s term limits policy. , Rep. Kay Granger and Rep. Michael Burgess are retiring and ceding control of powerful committee posts. .

And Sen. John Cornyn, who has spent years climbing the ranks of Senate Republicans, narrowly fell short last week in his challenge to become the next Senate majority leader, leaving the Texas lawmaker with a long career in leadership roles in the path. became opaque.

At stake is enormous political power, allowing some committee leaders to control the flow of federal funding and directing more money and resources to states, and allowing others to control the flow of federal funds and direct more money and resources to states. Society leaders help decide the fate of important policy debates, said history professor Jeremi Suri. At the University of Texas at Austin.

“Who chairs the committees, who holds the Senate majority leader and various other positions is very important because those roles set the agenda for Congress,” Suri said. “That means your priorities become the priorities of your party and Congress.”

Regarding President Trump’s Florida-centered appointments and lack of Texas cabinet representation, Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said this trend is largely due to President Trump’s ties to his hometown and his loyal and familiar presence. He said that this reflects President Trump’s desire to hire more people.

“I think it’s mostly a personality thing,” he says. “There weren’t as many Texans in Trump’s inner circle as there were Floridians. Trump seems to value loyalty and personal relationships very much, so Floridians were a more natural choice.”

The biggest bombshell so far is President Trump’s announcement that he will nominate former Northwest Florida congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general. The hardline conservative firebrand was considered a staunch supporter of President Trump and was the subject of a sex trafficking investigation, but no criminal charges were filed. He was divisive even among Republicans, with some expressing skepticism that Gaetz would be able to win confirmation in the Senate, where Republicans are likely to hold 53 seats.

Paxton is an ally of President Trump and was seen as the frontrunner for the post. In May, President Trump told reporters he would consider Paxton for the job, calling him “a very, very talented guy.”

After President Trump announced his selection, Paxton praised Gaetz on social media, saying, “There are few people more trustworthy to confront the deep state and end the weaponization of the Department of Justice.” However, if Gates is not nominated, Paxton may be next on the list.

Trump also chose a Floridian as his chief of staff, a campaign manager and political aide, rather than Brooke Rollins, a former aide to Perry and former director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an influential conservative think tank. I chose Susie Wiles. Rollins, who was widely reported to be a strong candidate for chief of staff, is still expected to serve in some capacity in the Trump administration, CNN reported.

Patrick, who served as Trump’s Texas campaign chairman three times, has long been rumored to be a possible nominee to Trump’s cabinet. However, the lieutenant governor, who will turn 75 next year, put all speculation to rest by saying immediately after the election, “It would be an honor to serve in President Trump’s cabinet, but I will remain in Texas.”

Additionally, President Trump has not yet invited Gov. Greg Abbott to join his administration, and has already announced his picks for the two posts with which Abbott was most connected (Secretary of State and Attorney General). It is unlikely that they will. Abbott, who President Trump touted as his running mate earlier this year, has said he wants to remain in Texas and run for re-election in 2026.

However, there are still many positions open. And among the remaining Texas candidates is state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, an early and staunch Trump supporter who was in the early stages of leading the U.S. Department of Agriculture before Trump’s defeat in 2020. He told the Tribune that he was in negotiations for the deal. Reports have surfaced that Mr. Miller has been linked to a position leading a wide-ranging agency that oversees food stamp allocations and numerous other programs.

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Beyond the Trump administration, Texas faces continued decline in its standing in Congress. Most of the longest-serving members of the state’s Republican delegation have retired since the 2018 midterm cycle, resulting in a steady decline in terms and the loss of key state committee positions in the seniority-based House. .

Of the 25 Republicans who will represent Texas in the House next year, only six were sworn in before President Trump’s first term, which began in 2017.

The trend is also fueled by Republican rules that cap how long lawmakers can hold leadership positions. The term limits are intended to open up the chairmanship to more party members, but have also recently led to the loss of several Texas-controlled chairmanships.

There are some notable exceptions. Sen. Ted Cruz will become chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, currently the top Republican. The committee oversees a number of key White House appointments and a wide range of industry and government agencies, including the broadly construed category of interstate commerce.

Rep. August Pflueger (R-San Angelo) also had a high-profile assignment last week when he was elected chairman of the Republican Study Committee. The committee is a key promoter of Republican policy and a transit point for other House Republicans. He is on his way to taking on a larger leadership role.

Additionally, President Trump has appointed Elon Musk, a billionaire from Texas, to head a quasi-government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but the extent of Musk’s authority is unclear.

For Mr. Cornyn, the majority leader’s defeat is a blow he has spent years grappling with in the role, and under the new Republican majority in the Senate, he has set the legislative agenda and is the top leader in Congress. It was supposed to serve as a legislative partner. The next Trump administration. Mr. Cornyn has publicly expressed interest in the leadership position for years, previously serving as the head of the Republican Party and leading the party’s campaign as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

But Mr. Wilson said Mr. Cornyn’s loss would not push him into the political wilderness.

“He is someone that many, especially less MAGA senators, look to for guidance and leadership,” Wilson said. “So I think he’s going to play a pretty important role unofficially.”

Disclosure: Southern Methodist University, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the University of Texas at Austin support The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by contributions from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. I am a financial supporter. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. See the complete list of them here.