Governor of Texas
Appears in 10 stories
Ordered the data-center audit on August 3
For years, plugging a big new customer into the Texas power grid ran on a first-come, first-served basis. On August 20, state regulators told the grid operator to screen those customers first.
Updated Aug 20
Directed PUCT and ERCOT to require data centers to fund their own grid infrastructure; set July 31 deadline for transmission cost action
In February 2021, a winter storm knocked out the Texas power grid and hundreds of people died in the cold. On July 22, 2026, that same grid pulled its heaviest load ever, about 91,089 megawatts, and nobody was asked to turn down the air conditioning.
Updated Jul 30
Declared statewide disaster; deployed state resources to Zavala and Uvalde Counties
Two calves in Zavala County, Texas, have tested positive for New World screwworm in the first US detections since 1966. The initial case was confirmed June 3; a second followed five miles away two days later. Governor Greg Abbott declared a statewide disaster on June 5, warning Texans to prepare for an "extraordinarily challenging summer."
Updated Jun 8
Signed the redrawn map into law; defending it in court
States usually redraw congressional districts once a decade, after the census. Texas just redrew its map four years early—and the U.S. Supreme Court has now cleared it for the 2026 midterm elections.
Updated May 31
Leading state nuclear expansion campaign
Texas has opened applications for a $350 million fund to jumpstart advanced nuclear reactor construction — the largest state-level investment of its kind. The Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, created by legislation that Governor Greg Abbott signed in June 2025, is accepting proposals from companies to build reactors, manufacture components, or rebuild the fuel supply chain. Only two state projects currently meet the fund's requirement of having a construction permit application filed with federal regulators.
Leading aggressive TPUSA expansion effort
Nebraska became the sixth state to announce an official partnership with Turning Point USA to bring the conservative organization's Club America chapters to every public high school. Since founder Charlie Kirk's assassination in September 2025, Republican governors have lined up to formalize state support. Some have threatened disciplinary action against schools that resist.
Updated May 27
Managing state response to winter storm
Winter Storm Fern killed over 150 people by early February 2026, following 106 deaths on January 28. The storm brought ice and heavy snow across a 2,000-mile path from Texas to Maine, prompting President Trump to declare federal emergencies in 10+ states as peak power outages exceeded 1 million, 14,000+ flights were canceled (the worst aviation disruption since COVID-19), and wind chills dropped to minus 50°F. Fatalities came from hypothermia, traffic accidents, and ice-related incidents: Tennessee reported 29 deaths, Mississippi 28, Louisiana 8, New York City 8 people frozen outdoors, with additional deaths in Kentucky and in Texas where 3 boys drowned after falling through pond ice.
Updated May 26
Signed Texas Responsible AI Governance Act
The DOJ's AI Litigation Task Force began operations January 10, 2026 with one mission: kill state AI laws in federal court. Attorney General Pam Bondi's team, consulting with AI czar David Sacks, will challenge comprehensive AI regulations from California, Texas, and Colorado that President Trump's December executive order called unconstitutional burdens on interstate commerce.
Updated May 20
Authorized Texas National Guard deployment to Illinois and Oregon
The Supreme Court told President Trump he can't send National Guard troops to Illinois. The 6-3 decision on December 23 marks the first time the modern court has blocked a president from federalizing state Guard units over a governor's objections. Trump claimed protests at an ICE facility in suburban Chicago constituted a rebellion, and the court wasn't buying it.
Updated May 16
Facing federal lawsuit over CAIR terrorist designation and land-ownership ban
In less than a month, Texas and Florida governors branded CAIR, the country's largest Muslim civil rights group, a "foreign terrorist organization." Both states ordered cuts to contracts, jobs, and funding. CAIR calls it a smear campaign; the governors say they're targeting Hamas-linked extremists.
Updated May 10
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