President Donald Trump called into a Texas House GOP Caucus meeting on Wednesday morning ahead of a pivotal vote on a private school voucher program, according to a video published by the Quorum Report.
Trump praised Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in his inauguration address in January, and billionaire Elon Musk, a legal resident of the Lone Star State who has become a key figure in Trump’s administration, has tweeted his support for a voucher program.
The president’s call coincides with growing uncertainty among Republicans that their flagship piece of legislation has enough support to pass just over halfway through the session. The bill up for a vote on Wednesday, the House Public Education Committee’s substitute version of Senate Bill 2, already has passed out of the Senate.
Some voucher proponents are reportedly prepared to back a proposed amendment to the bill to put a voucher program to a statewide vote.
Abbott has expressed opposition to such a plan, and has been privately threatening vetoes for members of his party who vote to amend it.
For years, Abbott has been pushing for a statewide voucher program that would be open to any family, regardless of income level. An effort to adopt such a policy last session failed due to resistance from many rural Republicans who represent school districts without alternative private schools.
This session, the governor made a voucher bill one of his top priorities. The House and the Senate each came up with their own proposals for the program, which both would make $1 billion available for vouchers during the 2026-2027 school year.
