In the April 5 episode, state Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, says annexing part of New Mexico is no joke. He explains what it might take to get it done. Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne on the House Republicans rare pushback against the President, the Senate and Speaker Johnson, plus Dallas Council Member Paul Ridley on whether he still has confidence in the city manager after new revelations on the future of the iconic city hall building.
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Straight ahead, an unprecedented move. Could Texas take over part of New Mexico? House Speaker Dustin Burrows wants our legislature to find out. State Rep Carl Tepper says it's no joke and offers up one way it might happen. Plus that bombshell from Dallas City Hall. City manager Kim Tolbert pitched the City Hall site to the Dallas Mavericks long before it went public. So does she still have the council's confidence?
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A question we will ask council member Paul Ridley. And on Capitol Hill, House Republicans break with leadership, pushing back against the president, the Senate, and Speaker Johnson over reopening the Department of Homeland Security. Congresswoman Beth Van Dyne in studio. Inside Texas Politics with Jason Whiteley starts now. Thanks for being here. Let's begin with some of the top political headlines happening across our state.
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Texas lawmakers are taking a serious look at expanding the state into New Mexico. No joke here. House Speaker Dustin Burroughs is asking for a study on annexing parts of Roosevelt and Lee counties right along the Texas border and then drafting legislation perhaps to make it happen. New Mexico leaders are already pushing back, saying this is not going to happen, and even if Texas tries, it would still take approval from Congress. The deadline has passed and we now know who all has applied for school vouchers in this state.
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Turns out most applications came from white families with children already in private schools or who are homeschooled. Remember, vouchers were designed for low income families who could not afford private education. Turns out they are only about 1/3 of the total applications, but they do get first priority. And Texas lost a political veteran, someone who is admired and respected on both sides of the aisle. Ray Sullivan has died. He was chief of staff to Governor Rick Perry.
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He served as a national spokesman for the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign and a trustworthy face behind the scenes. Reporter Jay Root said, quote, Politics can be a nasty business, but Ray navigated it with class and professionalism. The Quorum report says Sullivan died of lung cancer at the age of 63. Let's begin right now though with that idea that could potentially annex Texas annex part of New Mexico. Our first guest says not only is it serious, he explains how it might happen.
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State Rep Carl Tepper is a Republican from Lubbock who told us the idea needs to be even bigger than it is. Representative Tepper, it's good to see you here. Thanks for being on the program. Let's start with lawmakers, uh, in Austin looking at annexing those two counties in New Mexico, Roosevelt County and Lee County. Is this serious or is this just political theater?
< spk_1 - 00:02:46.9400000 >
Well, Jason, uh, they're serious now. It's, it's 3 counties, and I'm, I'm gonna be pushing for a 4th. Uh, you've got Roosevelt, uh, Lee, and Eddy County. Um, I think we should be looking at Curry County and Lincoln County too.
< spk_1 - 00:03:03.5290000 >
Uh, those are the counties where we seem to have the most, um, you know, economic, cultural, uh, business, community, um, you know, symbiosis with, and, um, I think we should be looking at 3 or 4 of them. Uh, this is serious. Uh, Speaker Burroughs doesn't. Um, he doesn't fooled around very much.
< spk_0 - 00:03:23.9190000 >
How did this idea come about?
< spk_1 - 00:03:26.2400000 >
Uh, legislators from New Mexico have filed bills to, uh, to de-annex, uh, from, um, from New Mexico and be annexed to Texas or secede from New Mexico and be annexed by Texas, and they're pretty serious about it. Uh, they're very frustrated with Santa Fe. Um, they feel, um, they feel like, like they are much more closely, more closely aligned in their constituents with Western Texas than, than New Mexico.
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Is there any precedent for this at all, where one state has absorbed counties in another state,
< spk_1 - 00:04:02.5800000 >
rearranging some of the counties from one state to another. Uh, I think is unprecedented, is unprecedented so far. Uh, now, other states and other counties have been researching this or talking about it for some time. You've got parts of California that would like to secede into other states. You've got Oregon, I think, actively, parts of Oregon actively wanting to go to other states, and I think we've seen some of that in Illinois and Michigan as well.
< spk_0 - 00:04:29.2990000 >
So if this were to actually happen though, it would take, uh, you know, passage by the uh Texas legislature, passage by the New Mexico legislature, and then Congress to act as well, but, but the New Mexico legislature essentially says take a walk, Texas.
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You know, uh, you never know till, you know, uh, they're poor.
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What does that mean? What does that mean?
< spk_1 - 00:04:48.7380000 >
You know they're poor and we're rich. They're we buy these
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counties,
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you know, you never know what situation they might be in, and, um, you know, everything seems to have a price in this world. And so, uh, Texas, you know, has the ability to extend its power beyond our borders. And um you never know if there's a deal to be cut with New Mexico, and if there is, uh, look, we're just, the committee that's been formed has just been formed to look at this.
< spk_1 - 00:05:19.2000000 >
Um, if it's got an inkling of being realistic, uh, you very well may see, uh, some bills, uh, being shot over to alleged counsel, which, you know, kind of massages the bills and makes them a little more realistic, a little more legal, and then, um, the Texas legislature would debate and possibly pass these bills. Of course, the governor would have to sign it. New Mexico would have to be a willing participant, but you never know.
< spk_1 - 00:05:41 >
There might be a reason they would like us to take those counties or, you know, a way for us to uh obtain these counties, and then Congress would have to act as well.
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Good deal. Great to see you. Thanks for the time.
< spk_1 - 00:05:52.7200000 >
Thanks,
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Jason.
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Have a great weekend.
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Alright, let's bring in the round table to talk about the politics of this, and oh my, is there politics to discuss here? Bud Kennedy with us from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Natalie Haddad, political reporter at WFAA in Dallas, and our friend Ashley Goode, the political director at Caview in Austin. Bud, let's start with you. You, you wrote a column about this in Sunday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram. What's this about?
< spk_2 - 00:06:13.7300000 >
I, I think Carl really is drilling a dry hole with this one. The whole idea that counties can just shop around and say we don't like this state anymore, we think we'd like to move over to this state is ridiculous on its face. You have to get both counties to agree. If he thinks that New Mexico is going to let Texas buy those counties, the only way New Mexico would sell those counties, the oil in those counties is worth 13 billion. Dollars. So if you said New Mexico, here you can keep the $13 billion just let us have the counties. That'd be the only way New Mexico would do it.
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Yes, I don't see that happening, but who knows? Do you think Natalie, we'll actually see any bills?
< spk_3 - 00:06:48.4630000 >
You know, I think that is a solid question. Obviously there is a group that is looking at this. New Mexico, according to Representative Tepper, is looking into this also, but how many lawmakers. In New Mexico are looking into this. I think this is a topic that's going to grab attention. It's going to make headlines, but when you really divvy out the details, it gets pretty complicated.
< spk_3 - 00:07:07.9660000 >
We will be asking New Mexico to give up the governance, the identity, uh, the control of these 3 to 4 counties, however many that Representative Tepper was saying that we should be looking at, and I think that's gonna be a hard sell.
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Ashley, what do you think? Hard sell or is there a deal to be cut?
< spk_4 - 00:07:25.6400000 >
No one's cutting the deal. This is not even, this is not even a thing, guys. Like this is not a thing. You can't, can you imagine if Harris County decided, well, we don't really like the state government, so we, the county, are just gonna ask lawmakers to let us secede and join, I don't know, Louisiana. It's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen. It's lovely that that they're looking at it. Yes, bills are gonna be filed because you can file a bill on anything. But this is not happening,
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guys. Bud brought up a good point before we started here. You know what happens if Louisiana decides it wants to, you know, Beaumont, Port Arthur? Who, who knows what's gonna happen here, but it is something they are legitimately going to look at in the interim here. A lot more ahead here, guys, including this. When we come back, Congresswoman Beth Van Dyne and the Republicans pushing back against leadership and how the Iran war might end.
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Plus that stunning revelation about the Dallas city manager, the Dallas Mavericks saying she offered up the City hall site for a new NBA arena long before council ever considered it. council member Paul Ridley up next on Inside Texas Politics. Welcome back to Inside Texas Politics. We watched something rare in Congress the other day. House Republicans pushing back against the president and the Senate saying no deal to reopening the Department of Homeland Security.
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Congresswoman Beth Van Dyne up next with us here, a Republican who represents parts of North Texas. Congresswoman, welcome back to the program here. Let's start with this ever evolving DHS funding fight going on right now. The president now backing that deal that the, uh, the Senate had to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. This is the same plan that that that House Republicans rejected last week, calling it a surrender to Democrats. Will you support it?
< spk_5 - 00:09:09.2700000 >
It depends what's in it. Um, from what I've seen right now, it's the same plan that we already rejected, um, and I think the president right now is so desperate to do the right thing. He is so desperate to get these people paid that are working every day that we are seeing hundreds quit because they have to get other jobs to be able to pay their rent. But I'll tell you, the Democrats, what did they get out of this? Absolutely nothing. They wanted all of these nasty reforms to.
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Hold, you know, to, to tie the hands of our immigration and Customs Enforcement's arms behind their backs, they've gotten none of the things that they have asked for. The only thing they've proven is that they would rather have people quit their jobs because they can't pay. They're starving our TSA agents. They're starving our Coast Guard. They're putting our national security at risk. They're not paying people who are doing their jobs. And why? Because they're, they're protecting illegal immigrants. That's the point that has been made clearly by Democrats. I'm going to have a hard time voting for something.
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That does not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and our Customs and Border Patrol.
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Let's talk about Iran for a moment here. President Trump addressed the nation the other day. He again, he did not offer a clear exit strategy here. Markets down, we've seen oil back up as well. What happens if it goes beyond 2 or 3 weeks? Republican voters were clear. Wanted America first. They didn't want to have these ongoing wars like we've seen for the past two decades. What happens if it goes another six months? Uh,
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again, we're going to have to see what we're getting out of it and to make sure, but you know, you had, uh, uh, um, Jamie Dimond on the other day who said the, the cost of not handling this correctly and finishing the job. In the hundreds of thousands of lives that could be lost, the trillions of dollars that could be lost as a result of not handling it correctly, it needs to be done. The job needs to be finished. We need to make sure that we have an Iran that does not pose a threat to the rest of the world as it has done.
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They have been at war with us, with the United States, for nearly 50 years. It's time to end that war.
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Is there any scenario in which you would support boots on the ground
< spk_5 - 00:11:11.7290000 >
if they can show that it is, it is. Uh, a, a quick in and out and then it's worth it. I haven't seen any, uh, justification for that yet, um, but again, this is, we've got people with, uh, uh, uh, uh, Pete Hegseth with, uh, Marco Rubio, John Ratcliffe, uh, uh, Chairman Kaine who are seeing these reports coming out directly and who are advising us.
< spk_5 - 00:11:37.0900000 >
I would wait and find out what the information is, um, before I, you know, I, I, I venture how I would vote for it.
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Here's what strikes me about this. The president took out Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela but left the communist dictatorship in charge there. Should the US leave Iran without planting seeds of democracy there?
< spk_5 - 00:11:58.4600000 >
You ask about what was happening in Venezuela. Now they are producing more and more oil that's coming to Texas refineries that as we see that increase, we're going to see oil prices decrease and gas prices.
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The communist dictatorship is still in place at the end of the day
< spk_5 - 00:12:13.0490000 >
they're willing to work with us. This is not a regime that is, you know, claiming death to America. This is a regime That Venezuela is willing to work with us. Iran is still not. And so I think what they're trying to do is make sure that they do not have the capabilities of of launching a nuclear attacks, um, you know, as, as, as far away as close as London, um, and what we have seen is not a Venezuela that wanted to go 70 ft underground to produce weapons of mass destruction, but we do see that in Iran.
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Congresswoman, good to see you.
< spk_5 - 00:12:43.1840000 >
It's great to see you. Thank you so much.
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Now to the future of Dallas City Hall and growing questions around the city manager. The controversial cost estimate to update that iconic building includes major work that has already been completed. Plus we still don't know why the city manager told the Dallas Mavericks that the City Hall site might be an option for a new NBA arena long before city council ever agreed to consider that. Kim Tolbert turned down our request for an interview. council member Paul Ridley though did not.
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He is a skeptic who represents a large portion of downtown Dallas itself. Councilman, welcome back to the program. Thank you, Jason. You, you said it was alarming that the city manager would offer up City Hall months before any of this became public. I'm curious, have you spoken to the city manager since all this has, uh, come out? No, not at all. Does the city manager need council permission to talk to a business about potentially.
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Giving away City Hall or does she have the license to float that just as the the the top person of the city?
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That is a very significant decision which she should have consulted the council about before offering the building to the Mavericks. Um, her statement is quoted by Rick Weltz who reported that she said that to him. was very. Unilateral in its nature. She said that. I need to move out of City Hall.
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I can't afford the cost to operate this building with the operations that go on in it. And so it did not reflect any communication with city council approval or that it was subject to council approval she just made that blanket statement.
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This doesn't seem to change any votes on city council, but what is the takeaway for constituents for people who live in Dallas?
< spk_6 - 00:14:41.7000000 >
Well, I think it may be premature to say this doesn't change any votes on city council. Uh, I think it might. Uh, there's been a discussion since that revelation last Friday. Um, that I think is something of a governance concern for the council as well as for all of our constituents.
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You think there might be some member of council that that that might flip though based on this revelation?
< spk_6 - 00:15:07.8690000 >
I think it's a major revelation that indicates that there was a predetermined strategy to vacate City Hall and condemn it to demolition that dates back to that conversation. I note that that conversation has never been denied by either party to the conversation.
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In his weekly newsletter, you may have seen this, the mayor said, quote, Everything the city manager's office has done has been at the behest of your elected leaders, end quote. Did anyone on council ask the manager, city manager to suggest the building might be available in the future to your knowledge?
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No one I'm aware of.
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No one that you've talked to, no one that people behind the scenes haven't said anything?
< spk_6 - 00:15:51.1500000 >
No, certainly not in April of 2025.
< spk_0 - 00:15:54.8490000 >
Do you still have confidence in the city manager?
< spk_6 - 00:15:58.5800000 >
I questioned this decision on her part, this unilateral decision without consulting the council, and I also question the fact that she kept it secret for a year, never disclosed it until it came out of the mouth of Rick Weltz, who she had the conversation with, and that is not a transparent process.
< spk_0 - 00:16:20.2100000 >
Uh just for clarity, does that position as a city manager. Have license to to just float these things to to go out and and and is this part of her job?
< spk_6 - 00:16:30.4290000 >
This was not floating an idea this was a statement as quoted by Rick Weltz that I need to move out of City Hall. I can't afford to operate the building. This was not a statement of what would you think about City Hall as a site for your new arena. That may have been discussed, but those statements are very specific and very concerning.
< spk_0 - 00:16:55.9400000 >
One of your council colleagues, Kara Mendelson, uh, showed that some repairs that the city has said needs to be done with this consultant report from AECO, that those repairs were already done a few years ago, the boilers specifically here. To me, when I see that this calls the whole billion dollar repairs into question. Does it?
< spk_6 - 00:17:15.3690000 >
This is just one example of where they didn't consider the fact that the city had already paid $4.5 million for a whole new heating system just two years ago. Why would we tear that out and put in a whole new system? That's just reflective of the fluff that's in this estimate.
< spk_0 - 00:17:33.8190000 >
Council member, great to see you again. Thank you for the time.
< spk_6 - 00:17:35.7290000 >
OK, enjoyed it, Jason.
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The roundtable is ready when we come back. This is Inside Texas Politics with Jason Whiteley. All right, we are back now with a roundtable to put the headlines in perspective. Bud, Natalie, and Ashley all with us here. Bud, let's start with the Big Bend border wall here. There are now reports that the federal government might use eminent domain.
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To actually erect a wall along Big Bend State Park and all through this gorgeous part of the state here, what do you expect to actually happen because no one's coming across anymore, especially in this desolate remote area, Jason,
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this is critical for Texans to pay attention to. The original plans called for a wall 150 miles long, 30 ft high, right through the middle of the canyon. They say that only 1% of the arrests. Along that whole span, it's almost impossible to go through, you know, it's just, it seems to be money ill spent. They've cut back and talked about maybe electronic monitoring, but they're asking for the right to eminent domain people's property along there. They're just saying we have no plans right now. Watch for those words right now.
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And Natalie, we have seen this unite some Republicans and Democrats.
< spk_3 - 00:18:43.5400000 >
Absolutely. We have seen local law enforcement in That area and ranking officials come out and say that to Bud's point, this is really rigid land. This is economically sensitive. This is protected, and Texans do need to be paying attention because a lot of our resources will also be disrupted if they build this border wall through that land.
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And Ashley, the idea moved forward under Homeland Security Secretary, former Homeland Security Secretary Christine Nome. Mark Wayne Mullen has replaced her. Do you think he's going to reach a compromise around this?
< spk_4 - 00:19:12.7290000 >
I don't know. You know, I think the thing that I'm gonna be watching in all of this is how Texas responds, how the attorney general's office responds to all of this, you know, we seem to have an attorney general who has a very good relationship with the president. There are a lot of Texans, to your point, both sides of the aisle. Don't like this. So can you get them to agree to let this go and leave Big Ben alone?
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Yes, will the Attorney General respond? But let me ask you that. Speaking of Ken Paxton, you know, President Trump fired the acting Attorney General Pam Bondi a few days ago in DC, and lots of speculation. A couple of dark horse candidates could be Ken Paxton or John Cornyn here,
< spk_2 - 00:19:48.9490000 >
you know, there were rumors a couple of months ago that Trump would kind of give Texas a way out of the runoff by appointing Paxton attorney general, but now look at, you know, Ken Paxton's looking at a 6 year job. Why would he take a 1.5 year job or whatever it would last under
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Trump? And Natalie, both Cornyn and Paxton deny this is going to happen. They're saying they're going to stick with their Senate campaigns and duke it out May 26th in the runoff.
< spk_3 - 00:20:13.2700000 >
I think they can say all they want, but they are still looking for President Trump's endorsement, and I wouldn't be shocked to see President Trump try to sweeten the deal for the person he doesn't endorse, and I think we will ultimately see both of these candidates very happy with whatever outcome comes of it.
< spk_0 - 00:20:29.7190000 >
Ashley, talking to Republicans, they tell me that, you know, John Cornyn as a member of the Senate could probably get confirmed in the Senate if he were the nominee for Attorney General, but could Ken Paxton get confirmed in the Senate?
< spk_4 - 00:20:43.8690000 >
I'm, I'm gonna choose my words carefully. Yes, yes, Jason, you know why? Because if the president says this is who I want to be the attorney general, then they're going to approve him point blank period. I think we have seen that. Um, I mean, that's just, that is what it is. Whoever he wants is who he's going to get.
< spk_0 - 00:21:01.7900000 >
That did happen with Pete Hegseth. I mean, it was a super tight vote and there was, you know, a bunch of opposition ahead of time. We, I do remember that.
< spk_4 - 00:21:09.3100000 >
Yeah, but I mean at the end, does Pete Hex have a job in the administration? That's right. Oh, that's right, he does. So I mean that's, that's it. Whatever the president wants is what the president gets.
< spk_0 - 00:21:18.8290000 >
I think you're probably right about that with the Republican Party. Guys, thanks so much. We appreciate that and thank you for watching as well. We're back next Sunday to take you inside Texas politics. We hope to see you then. Have a great day.