Six months before the Texas Legislature convenes in Austin, the state’s top three Republican leaders are already telling agencies to tighten their belts.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state House Speaker Dustin Burrows released their joint budget priorities and guidelines to state agencies, universities and appellate courts on July 15, noting that while the state’s economy is strong, Texans are facing affordability challenges.
“As the starting point for budget deliberations, we are requiring each agency to reduce its base appropriation request level by 3%,” the joint letter read.
However, there are several exemptions the leaders would allow to the baseline request limitation, including amounts necessary to:
Lawmakers are set to convene in Austin starting Jan. 12, 2027, to hammer out the details of the state’s appropriations bill for the 2028 and 2029 fiscal years.
Why is Texas tightening its budget?
The joint letter framed the guidance as a way to keep Texas fiscally conservative and to consider lowering property taxes once more. The 2025 budget allocated $51 billion in property tax relief.
“Texas leads the nation with a strong economy and responsible governance that puts families first,” Abbott said in a statement. “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.”
What is Texas’ current budget?
The 89th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1, the state’s appropriations bill, which allocated $338 billion to fund the state through August 2027.
That was about a 5% increase from the budget passed in 2023.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas orders agencies to cut spending by 3%, but shields schools
Reporting by Mateo Rosiles, USA TODAY NETWORK / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mateo Rosiles, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
