Democratic candidate for Texas governor Gina Hinojosa made waves in her announcement she would provide a $1,500 stimulus check to Texans as part of refunds for “Abbott’s corruption tax.”
Hinojosa has slammed Gov. Greg Abbott for what she has called hoarding $27 billion in taxpayer money in the state’s Economic Stability Fund, which has ballooned from $10 billion over the last five years, in a statement on Tuesday, July 7.
“Texans have lost trust in our government, and for good reason – Greg Abbott has hoarded our money while we struggle with the costs of healthcare, groceries, gas, and housing,” Hinojosa said. “This proposal is about restoring that trust by putting money back in people’s pockets, especially at a time when Texans are hurting. The government is more of a burden than a help to people – that changes when I’m governor. We can come together in a bipartisan way to do this for Texans.”
Her new economic policy proposal was part of her “Money in Your Pocket” tour and would include a proclamation declaring the affordability crisis in Texas an emergency and call on the legislature to deliver a bill providing the one-time, $1,500 checks to Texas households starting her first day in office.
These checks will come from taxpayer dollars in the Economic Stability Fund, while keeping a full, fiscally responsible $10 billion reserve for future emergencies, she contended.
The $1,500 one-time rebate program, which Hinojosa dubbed a “corruption tax refund,” would cost the state $17 billion, her campaign estimated.
It would be drawn from Texas’ rainy-day fund, formally known as the Economic Stabilization Fund, which serves essentially as a state savings account and stood at a record $24.8 billion as of November 2025.
Such a stimulus plan would require legislative approval.
Gov. Greg Abbott stays quiet on possible checks
The El Paso Times reached out to Abbott’s campaign for comment on any possible economic impact payments to Texans but received no response.
Neither the Office of the Governor nor any social media posts addressed Hinojosa’s proposal.
The closest Abbott has come to publicly seeking reimbursement for past statewide expenses was when he formally requested federal reimbursement of $10 billion for Project Lone Star, or Operation Lone Star, on June 24, 2026.
That amount of taxpayer money was spent over four years to secure the border during the Biden administration.
Should the state receive that money from the Trump administration, it would be returned to the state budget and not be distributed publicly through stimulus checks.
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: Gina Hinojosa, Gov. Greg Abbott spar on rebates in Texas governor race
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
