Gov. Greg Abbott is underscoring his goals for the 2028-29 state budget.
Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dustin Burrows called on the 90th Texas Legislature to build on recent successes by addressing affordability for Texas families and homeowners on Wednesday, July 15, while also requiring state agencies to demonstrate prudent stewardship of taxpayer resources through a 3% reduction in base budget requests.
“Texas leads the nation with a strong economy and responsible governance that puts families first,” Abbott said. “This guidance protects our historic investments in public education and teachers, delivers even more property tax relief, and makes the cost of living more manageable for Texas families through strict standards of efficiency and accountability from every state agency.”
Other goals for the budget included “protecting education funding, including the Foundation School Program and the Texas Education Savings Account Program, from any base budget reductions and supporting teachers, advancing property tax reform, and continuing to fully fund public education,” the Office of the Governor said in a news release.
Data from the state indicate that Texas has the second-largest state economy in the United States, with a nominal Gross Domestic Product of a record $2.9 trillion. If Texas were an independent nation, it would rank as the 8th largest economy in the world, outperforming the GDPs of countries like Canada, Brazil, and Italy.
California has the largest state economy in the United States, with a Gross Domestic Product of approximately $4.1 trillion.
Gina Hinojosa slams Abbott’s economic forecast
Democratic candidate for Texas governor renewed her attacks on the Abbott campaign as she claimed Texans are still worse off under the three-term governor.
She cited the state falling in CNBC’s “America’s Top States for Business” rankings, driven by an “F” quality-of-life grade and “C” grades in cost of living and education on Monday, July 13.
“Everywhere I go, Texans voice the same concerns: costs are rising, neighborhood schools are shuttering their doors, and foreign-owned data centers are encroaching on their communities,” she said. “This ranking change is a direct result of Greg Abbott’s failed policies that put his billionaire donors before working Texans: siphoning $1 billion from Texas’ public schools into an unaccountable voucher program, raising electricity costs for millions of households, and handing data centers the most generous tax dollar giveaway in the country.”
Ballotpedia data show that Texas has experienced cumulative inflation of approximately 38% since Abbott took office on Jan. 20, 2015. This tracks closely with the broader United States, which experienced a standard average annual inflation rate of 3.20% over these 11 years.
Important dates for 2026 Texas election
The last day to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23 for mail requests or Oct. 19 for in-person requests. The absentee ballot return deadline is Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Budget priorities for Gov. Greg Abbott, Gina Hinojosa in governor race
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
