Abby Livingston
Texas Tribune
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Abby:
John Cornyn says bipartisan gun legislation won’t include weapons bans or expanding background checks
Cornyn on Monday made clear in a Senate floor speech that there are limits to what he and the Senate GOP conference are willing to support in their efforts to pass bipartisan gun legislation. → Read More
Partisan tensions flare among Texans in congressional gun hearing
House Democrats are combining several gun policy bills into one large package known as the Protecting our Kids Act. Among the measures in the bill: raising the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21; outlawing the sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of a large-capacity magazine; and creating tax breaks for purchasing proper gun storage equipment. → Read More
In rematch, Jessica Cisneros faces a weakened Henry Cuellar for South Texas congressional seat
An FBI raid on his home before the primary and a threat to Roe v. Wade. Henry Cuellar is heading into the primary runoff election more vulnerable than ever before. → Read More
Bob Krueger, the last Texas Democrat to serve in the U.S. Senate, dies at 86
Krueger, a conservative Texas Democrat, was a politician and U.S. diplomat to two African countries. → Read More
Amid Russian aggression, Fort Worth leaders say the F-35 fighter jet’s value is now on display in Europe
Budget hawks deride the fighter jet, built largely in Fort Worth, as a costly boondoggle. But with war in Ukraine, the F-35’s presence is being felt across Europe. → Read More
Ted Cruz ends block on Biden appointments after sanctions issued for Russian gas pipeline
As the Ukraine crisis intensifies, President Joe Biden issued sanctions against a pipeline company. Cruz previously blocked State Department nominees because Biden wouldn’t oppose the project. → Read More
Retiring U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson looms large in crowded race to replace her
Johnson did not make her retirement official until November, setting off an abridged scramble to set up campaigns ahead of the December filing deadline but attracting a packed lineup of experienced candidates who are either well connected, well known or well funded. → Read More
Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher is about to find out how badly Texas Republicans want her out of Congress
The two-term Houston representative holds a congressional seat with a storied Republican lineage. With the GOP-controlled Legislature about to release new district maps, some expect they will try to wrest the seat back into their column. → Read More
Fort Bliss in El Paso could receive thousands of Afghan refugees as Taliban topples government, Pentagon says
The Taliban has taken control of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city, which led to a crush of civilians at the Kabul airport desperate to leave the country on Monday. → Read More
U.S. Sens. Jon Cornyn, Ted Cruz vote against infrastructure bill that could give Texas more than $30 billion
The Senate approved a $1 trillion, bipartisan bill that also earmarks money for broadband internet access. It’s not yet known how much money set aside for the country’s aging electricity infrastructure could go to Texas’ main power grid. → Read More
In fight against Texas GOP’s voting bill, options are limited for Democrats in Congress and the White House
The filibuster stands in the way of Democrats passing bills aimed at expanding access to the vote. Meanwhile, the executive branch has lost one of its most powerful tools for intervening. → Read More
Most U.S. House Republicans from Texas vote against forming a commission to investigate Jan. 6 insurrection
The bill creating the commission, which would have subpoena power, passed 252-175. Republican U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and Van Taylor of Plano were the only two GOP Texans to support the measure. → Read More
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy loses bid to replace Liz Cheney as third-ranking House Republican
Roy announced that he was seeking the post on Thursday, but was then quickly denounced by former President Donald Trump. → Read More
Donald Trump denounces Chip Roy's bid for U.S. House Republican leadership post: "He has not done a great job"
Roy was among a small handful of Texas Republicans who voted against overturning the election in January. → Read More
Freshman GOP Texas congressman made a personal pitch to Joe Biden: Let me help with criminal justice reform
U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, the former sheriff of Fort Bend County, made the request after Biden's joint address Wednesday night. Biden's answer: "I’ll reach out to you." → Read More
Bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers announces legislation to ease crowding at border facilities
The bill backed by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, would create four new processing facilities for asylum seekers and add to federal staffing along the border. → Read More
After saying he has “no plans” to run for governor, Beto O’Rourke quick to clarify he might
“Nothing’s changed and nothing I said would preclude me from considering a run in the future,” he told the Tribune. → Read More
Pork may return to the menu in Congress. Will Texas partake?
Budgetary earmarks, a maligned spending practice banished a decade ago, appear poised to return under Democratic control of Washington D.C. Some Texas lawmakers welcome their revival, while others are pledging to abstain from their use. → Read More
U.S. House passes COVID-19 relief bill that would give millions of Texans $1,400 checks
The bill, which also includes billions in aid for state and local governments, now awaits President Joe Biden's signature. → Read More
Ted Cruz cites “wanting to be a good dad” for traveling to Cancún during Texas power outages
First spotted at an airport by a social media user who posted his photo, there was an immediate outcry overnight that a U.S. senator would travel out of the state amid the worst storm in many Texans' lifetimes. → Read More