Travis County GOP calls for new Texas House Speaker

The Travis County Republican Party (TCRP) Executive Committee approved via voice vote a resolution urging Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign. With the exception of a change to the first resolve clause that references TCRP and agreement with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, this resolution is identical to one that passedthe State Republican Executive Committee at its September 2023 meeting. This was following a vote in September to support the Orange County Republican Party’s censure of Speaker Phelan.

WHEREAS, Texas House Speaker Matthew McDade “Dade” Phelan voted for the impeachment of Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton, Jr., and through his leadership team pressured other House members to vote for the impeachment as well, and Speaker Phelan continues to defend this action despite the weaknesses of the case, which were demonstrated in the Senate trial that resulted in Attorney General Paxton’s acquittal; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Dade Phelan appointed nine Democrats to chair important legislative committees, in direct defiance of the wishes of Republican voters and the Legislative Priorities of the Republican Party of Texas; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Dade Phelan ignored or actively undermined several GOP priorities during the regular session and failed to advance salient legislation to secure our borders and our elections; and

WHEREAS, new leadership is needed in the Texas House of Representatives for the upcoming special session, and potential subsequent special sessions, to ensure that conservative priorities are achieved and that members are no longer pressured to actand vote contrary to the Platform, Principles, and Priorities of the Party they represent and of its voters; now

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Travis County Republican Party agrees with the Republican Party of Texas’s call as well as that of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for Speaker Dade Phelan to step down from his leadership role as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and to allow a new Speaker to be elected after a caucus vote held in accordance with the Republican Party of Texas Platform; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that should Speaker Dade Phelan fail to step down from the Speaker chair for this upcoming special session, the Republican Representatives should vote to vacate the chair and allow for a new Speaker – one who has pledged to honor and support the Priorities and Principles of the Republican Party – to be elected.