As federal spending undergoes renewed scrutiny amid President Donald Trump’s tenure, one measure to curtail spending has split Texas’ all-Republican U.S. Senate delegation.
At issue is a budget resolution that will guide the U.S. Senate’s fiscal priorities during President Donald Trump’s term. Budget resolutions are significant because they enable a process called “reconciliation,” which is not subject to a legislative filibuster. This means they can pass the U.S. Senate with 51, instead of 60, votes.
As part of the Senate debate over the budget resolution, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) offered an amendment that would cut $1.4 trillion (out of a baseline of $89 trillion) over ten years. Only 24 Senators supported Paul’s amendment. Seventy-six senators, including 31 Republicans, opposed the amendment.
In Texas’ delegation, Sen. Ted Cruz supported Paul’s amendment while Sen. John Cornyn opposed him.
Cornyn is up for re-election in 2026. Attorney General Ken Paxton is reportedly considering a run for the seat.
