Daily Dispatch 12/19/25: Texas House Dems United On ACA, But Not On Protecting Trans Kids - And More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The U.S. House of Representatives closes down for the holiday after passing a Republican healthcare bill that does not protect ACA subsidies - all Texas Republicans voted for it, and all Texas Democrats voted no: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/19/texas-republicans-congress-health-care-obamacare-subsidies-2026-midterms/...Less unity among Texas House Democrats, however, as both Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez voted for and facilitated the passage of a bill criminalizing gender care for trans kids: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/12/democrats-should-kick-the-three-transphobes-who-voted-for-mtgs-bill-out-of-the-caucus/Senate candidate James Talarico and congressional candidate Bobby Pulido endorsed each other at a joint rally in South Texas yesterday: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/18/texas-james-talarico-bobby-pulido-senate-congress/Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's comments on that strange Donald Trump speech this week: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/politics/video/rep-jasmine-crockett-on-trumps-address-to-the-nation-like-a-used-car-salesman-in-front-of-the-american-peopleDonald Trump, possibly desperate to put that bizarre speech behind him, has signed an executive order relaxing restrictions on medical use and research regarding cannabis products: https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/trump-texas-marijuana-weed-medical-cannabis-industry-san-antonio/273-16dd9155-97cb-49d8-b076-262adc2c2720Texas DPS has over doubled their fleet of surveillance drones under Operation Lone Star - it's now almost as big as the U.S. Border Patrol's federal inventory: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-dps-drone-fleet-doubled-in-size/See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.