- In a post on Truth Social, President Trump hailed the passage of SB 2
- Trump pledged to endorse lawmakers who supported school choice in remarks made to House members before the vote
- Governor Abbott has promised to “swiftly” sign SB 2 into law
The Texas House has passed Senate Bill 2 to create a universal school choice program in Texas – a vote President Donald J. Trump quickly praised.
“Congratulations to my friends, Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dustin Burrows, along with Texas Legislators, for finally passing SCHOOL CHOICE, which I strongly endorsed – this is a gigantic Victory for students and parents in the Great State of Texas! We will very soon be sending Education BACK TO ALL THE STATES, where it belongs. It is our goal to bring Education in the United States to the highest level, one that it has never attained before. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” said Trump in a post on Truth Social.
Senate Bill 2 passed the House by a vote of 86-63. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows cast a vote in favor of the bill. By tradition, the Speaker only casts votes in rare instances on items such as the budget and top-priority bills.
The Texas House also voted 144-4 in favor of House Bill 2, a school finance bill that provides funding for items including teacher pay raises and increased special education funding.
Prior to the vote on Senate Bill 2, Governor Greg Abbott met with Republican members of the Texas House, encouraging them to support the school choice legislation. Abbott had President Trump join the meeting for several minutes by phone, during which he made comments strongly supporting the bill.
Video of President Trump’s comments to House Republicans was first published by Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report.
President Trump thanked Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Burrows, House Education Committee Chairman Brad Buckley, and Senate Education Committee Chairman for their work on school choice and stressed the need for the legislation.
“This bill is just really about schools and about children. It’s about their liberty. It’s about their future, and parents’ rights is going to be very important. And this is really saying we have to have parents’ rights, and we have to say no to the radical indoctrination that’s happening all over the schools. And what you’re doing right now is going to get rid of all of the bad stuff,” Trump told lawmakers.
Trump also promised to support lawmakers who voted in favor of Senate Bill 2.
“Let me get on to what you’re doing today about voting because you’re doing a tremendous job. And many of you I’ve endorsed, and I’ll be endorsing all of you. This is such a this is such a big thing,” said Trump, who also told the House members, “I want you to know I totally have your back. I’m with you 100%.”
Speaker Burrows described the House’s votes on House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 2 as a “historic chapter for education” in Texas.
“Today marks a historic chapter for education in our state, with the Texas House passing its landmark ‘Texas Two Step’ proposals to deliver more education opportunities for students alongside the largest-ever increase in public school funding. House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 2 work together to meaningfully improve the overall education ecosystem in Texas, with the latter empowering parents of students with unique learning needs to access educational resources that might otherwise be unaffordable or inaccessible. I appreciate the hard work of Chairman Buckley to ensure every Texas student has access to a better education and thank my colleagues for their thoughtful debate and dedication to strengthening Texas’ future today,” said Burrows.
Governor Abbott also applauded the passage of Senate Bill 2 and promised to “swiftly” sign it into law as soon as he is able.
“For the first time in Texas history, our state has passed a universal school choice bill out of both chambers in the Texas Legislature,” said Governor Abbott.
“This is an extraordinary victory for the thousands of parents who have advocated for more choices when it comes to the education of their children. Texas could not have accomplished this without the hard work and unwavering support from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dustin Burrows, Chairman Brandon Creighton, and Chairman Brad Buckley. I applaud the legislators who took a stand with the overwhelming majority of Texans who support school choice. When it reaches my desk, I will swiftly sign this bill into law, creating the largest day-one school choice program in the nation and putting Texas on a pathway to becoming the best state in America for educating our kids.”
