Trump enters Republican feud over Texas budget, property tax relief

(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump has entered an ongoing feud between Republican Speaker of the House Dade Phelan and leader of the Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who’s called the speaker “California Dade” and engaged in surfboard-using “meme warfare.”

The chambers, both led by Republican majorities, are at odds over how the state should provide property tax relief and spend its unprecedented $33 billion surplus. The Senate plan increases the homestead exemption; the House plan caps the appraisal value of all properties, not just residential. Both leaders have said each other’s approach isn’t workable even though “amicable” negotiations began last week.

The legislative session ends in less than one month. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call a special legislative session if his legislative priorities don’t pass, including property tax reform and school choice.

On Sunday, Trump posted on his Truth Social social media site that the Texas legislature, which remains in a deadlock over the budget, should adopt Patrick’s plan, not Phelan’s.

He also referred to the House speaker using Patrick’s nickname for him, “California Dade,” saying that the speaker’s plan was “a disaster for Texas.” Trump called on House members, who overwhelmingly supported the House bill, to vote for the Senate bill.

But the House bill hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate and the Senate bill hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing in House. The deadline for bills to be heard in either chamber is May 8, otherwise they die.

Patrick, who’s Trump’s previous and current Texas presidential campaign chair, tweeted on Monday: “President Trump joins realtors & business leaders agreeing SB 3, by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, cuts billions more for homeowners than the House’s 5 percent appraisal cap plan that will destroy the real estate market.”

Trump has criticized Texas’ Republican House speaker before. The former president lambasted Phelan in an Oct. 9, 2021, press release after the House didn’t schedule a hearing on an election reform bill passed by the Senate. SB 47, filed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, passed in the third special legislative session in 2021 after Gov. Greg Abbott called three special legislative sessions to address several unfinished legislative issues.

Trump said Phelan was “another Mitch McConnell,” referring to the former Senate majority leader when he was president. Trump said, “Phelan is not fighting for the people of Texas” and “should immediately move the Forensic Audit bill,” SB 47, to the floor for a vote. He didn’t do so, Trump argued, because he knew “the bill will overwhelmingly pass the House with Republican support.”

“While standing in the way of a real election audit, Speaker Phelan just weakened the penalty for voting illegally in the state of Texas from a felony to a misdemeanor, siding with the Democrats and calling their amendment that makes a mockery of our election laws ‘thoughtful,’” he said, referring to an election reform bill that reduced penalties for illegally voting, which Abbott signed into law.

Trump was also referring to a statement Phelan made about the bill after Abbott signed it into law, when he said the House wasn’t going to “relitigate” election reform bills.

The Senate passed five election reform bills again this legislative session, also filed by Bettencourt. They were all referred to the House Election Committee.

Its committee chair, Rep. Reggie Smith, R-Sherman, who says he has “established himself as an advocate for conservative principles,” has so far not scheduled a single Bettencourt election bill for a public hearing.

In Trump’s October 2021 press release, he also threatened to “see” Phelan in the Texas primary, saying Texas would pass election reform “one way or the other.”

Phelan, who hasn’t responded to Trump’s threats, had no primary or general election challengers in the last election. He also received over $11 million in donations, the most of anyone in the Texas House. He was also overwhelmingly elected speaker by his peers, including by all House Democrats.