A routine budget hearing in the Texas House erupted into controversy when Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison was reprimanded by Democrat lawmakers for daring to question a state agency’s adherence to Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive against diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
During a subcommittee hearing on Thursday, Harrison (R–Midlothian) pressed representatives of the Texas Water Development Board on whether they are making hiring decisions based on race, as indicated in its most recent strategic plan that states the agency’s workforce “must mirror” the diversity of society.
TWDB Chairwoman L’Oreal Stepney initially claimed DEI hiring practices were not in place, but when confronted with the wording in the strategic plan, she and other officials struggled to reconcile their remarks.
“I don’t know any other way to read this than race was being used in employment determinations,” Harrison said.
Deputy Executive Administrator Edna Jackson admitted that no law requires TWDB to ensure its workforce reflects societal diversity, further fueling concerns that DEI-based hiring had been occurring.
Democrat State Rep. Armando Walle (Houston), who chairs the subcommittee on Articles VI, VII, and VIII, stepped in to admonish Harrison for his line of questioning.
Stepney, overwhelmed with emotion, began crying, leading to even further rebuke from Democrat lawmakers, including State Rep. Nicole Collier (D–Fort Worth).
Walle then delivered an explicit statement from the dais, declaring, “We have reached a g**damn limit already to the attacks on people’s character, on people’s qualifications based only on one single thing: the color of their skin.”
It’s not the first time Walle has used colorful language in the House, launching into an expletive-ridden tirade on the floor of the House last session in which he declared he was a “good f**king soldier” for then-Speaker Dade Phelan, and calling his Republican colleagues “motherf**kers.”
Collier accused Harrison of forcing Stepney to “defend 246 years of systemic racism,” making the issue about race rather than about compliance with state law.
Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) quickly weighed in, issuing a statement suggesting Harrison’s questioning had crossed a line: “House Members are afforded great latitude to ask probing questions; however, I expect all public servants to be treated with utmost respect and decency in the Texas House.”
Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick both expressed their support for Stepney, with Abbott declaring, “There is no one better and no one I have more confidence in to lead and implement our water solutions than TWDB Chairwoman L’Oreal Stepney.”
Appropriations Committee Chair Greg Bonnen condemned Harrison’s conduct as “completely unacceptable and beneath the dignity of this institution.”
Harrison, undeterred by the attacks, posted the full video of the exchange on X, calling it the “VIDEO THE SWAMP DOESN’T WANT YOU TO SEE” and accusing Democrats of turning the hearing into “an infomercial for DEI.”
🚨VIDEO THE SWAMP DOESN’T WANT YOU TO SEE
Watch a DEMOCRAT CHAIR hijack a budget hearing and turn it into an infomercial for DEI…
Right after I exposed DEI in yet another state agency’s strategic planning documents.
This Texas or California?
Watch till [the] end for truth bomb! pic.twitter.com/KbvKlf6cUw
— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) February 28, 2025
Other conservative lawmakers quickly came to his defense.
State Rep. Brent Money (R–Greenville) stated: “The fact he’s willing to ask the same questions to both men and women, white and black, is a demonstration of his moral clarity and courage on this issue. DEI is racist. Brian Harrison is not.”
State Rep. Steve Toth (R–The Woodlands) blasted the backlash as a political stunt: “Brian was pointing out that Gov. Abbott’s policy was being ignored. In NO WAY did he ever question the credibility of this woman. What a farce!”
Harrison ended the exchange by doubling down on his mission to root out race-based hiring in the Texas government, quoting Chief Justice John Roberts:
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
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