Burrows Avoids Being Ousted From Speakership

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows' (R) first test of support came this week as the Texas House voted to oust the controversial speaker. After weeks of extensive criticism from the likes of state Rep. Brian Harrison (R), some questioned if Speaker Burrows' time was up. The moment came and went as Speaker Burrows avoided being ousted from the speakership.

Speaker Burrows' ascent to the speakership has faced scrutiny from conservatives who argue that backdoor deals with Democrats and sacrificing Republican values led to his role as speaker. Shortly after his election, he vowed to bring balance to the House, ensuring that he would work across the aisle for the best interest of the Lone Star state.

Since then, however, Speaker Burrows has had difficulty with winning over some Republicans in the Texas House.

Earlier this week, state Rep. Harrison - who has been critical of the Texas House - introduced a resolution to remove Speaker Burrows from the speaker's chair, arguing that the speaker of "committ[ing] the greatest form of voter fraud" by  empowering Democrats by appointing them to leadership positions. In the resolution, state Rep. Harrison cites that said lawmakers support pro-abortion policies, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and open borders.

Despite state Rep. Harrison's plea for Speaker Burrows to be removed, the Texas House quickly tabled the resolution after overwhelmingly rejecting the motion to oust Speaker Burrows.

The final vote was 141-2 with five members voting present and two members being absent.

State Rep. Jared Patterson (R) took to social media shortly after the vote to celebrate the victory, writing, "Today, the Texas House voted to keep @Burrows4TX as Speaker of the House in overwhelming fashion."

"Only three of the 88 Republicans sided against Speaker Burrows," he added, sharing that he is "so proud that our Republican Caucus is coming together under his leadership so that we can accomplish our goals related to border security, property tax relief, banning hostile foreign nations from owning Texas land, increasing teacher pay, and so much more."