Talarico: Texas Senate win brings chance to cut gas taxes and housing rules
The new senator says he and the president agree on suspending fuel taxes, legalizing marijuana, and reducing regulations to build more homes.
By Renata Mehta ·
Texas Senator-elect James Talarico defeated incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton by more than ten points on Tuesday night. This victory gives Democrats their first U.S. Senate seat in the state since 1988. Talarico announced his win on X with the message, "We just took back Texas."
Speaking on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" on Wednesday, Talarico outlined several policy areas where he believes he can cooperate with President Donald Trump. Although Trump had endorsed Paxton in the runoff, Talarico said he is ready to work with the president on specific legislative goals.
"I think there's a wide variety of issues that we could work together on," Talarico said. He identified immigration as a primary area for collaboration, noting that comprehensive reform should include border security measures. He credited the current administration with securing the border more effectively than the previous one.
The senator-elect also proposed working with Trump to suspend the federal gas and diesel taxes. Talarico stated that this action would lower fuel costs by 18 cents a gallon immediately. He said both he and the president support this temporary suspension to reduce expenses for consumers.
Housing policy is another shared priority. Talarico pointed to Trump's background as a real estate developer and said they should cut regulatory red tape to build millions of new homes. "He's a builder, and we need to cut the red tape, the regulation that sometimes my party has been guilty of," Talarico explained.
Talarico also agreed with the president on the need to legalize marijuana and reform the criminal justice system. He said these are issues he supports fully. "These are just some of the issues that I agree full-heartedly with President Trump," he added, emphasizing his intent to work for all 31 million Texans.
The incoming senator rejected the notion of political retribution in Washington. "The people of Texas did not elect me last night for retribution," Talarico said. He said his focus is on delivering results to make life easier and less stressful for his constituents.
