When Free Speech Costs You Funding: San Marcos, Abbott, and the Real Fight for Texas Values

Let’s not sugarcoat it: Governor Greg Abbott just threw a political temper tantrum aimed at San Marcos for daring to think independently. On April 29th, he sent a letter threatening to cut off all state funding and contracts if the city passes a resolution that criticizes Israel and calls for redirecting local dollars elsewhere. It’s legal muscle-flexing meant to scare cities into silence. But let’s get one thing straight: this whole mess was preventable.

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/Letter_to_San_Marcos_04.29.25.pdf

San Marcos fumbled the ball when they tossed in language explicitly calling for a boycott or embargo of Israel. I get the intent. I know plenty of folks are angry, heartbroken, and desperate to take a stand in support of Palestinian lives. That’s fair. But slapping a “boycott of Israel” into a local resolution was a political landmine, and they stepped right on it.

We’re not here to make enemies. We’re here to make change. That means picking battles that move us forward, not hand Abbott an excuse to weaponize state law against our cities.

Texas law, whether we like it or not, prohibits cities from getting big-dollar contracts or state grants if they support a boycott of Israel. Abbott leaned hard on that law in his letter, citing dollar amounts, state codes, and legal threats like he was itching for a showdown. And look, if this resolution passes as-is, he’ll probably get his wish. He’ll use it to score points with his base while San Marcos loses funding. That’s not strategy. That’s a setup.

We don’t need to water down our values, but we do need to be smarter about how we fight. You can take a moral stance without violating the law. You can stand up for Palestinian rights without phrasing it in a way that triggers funding losses. You can call for ethical investment, transparency, and reallocation of military-tied funds without putting “boycott of Israel” in bold letters.

If I were governor, I wouldn’t be threatening cities for symbolic resolutions. I’d be asking why our tax dollars are going overseas when Texas classrooms are underfunded and our infrastructure is crumbling. That’s the real scandal here. Not a city resolution, but a governor more obsessed with silencing dissent than solving problems.

Let’s be real: Abbott doesn’t give a damn about San Marcos’ local budget. He cares about controlling the narrative. And if that means throwing cities under the bus to protect his political image, he’ll do it every time.

When I’m governor, I’ll stand for the real Texas values: freedom of speech, local control, and smart leadership. I won’t play bully games with your city’s money. And I sure as hell won’t punish Texans for speaking up about injustice, at home or abroad.

San Marcos needs to clean up their resolution, stay in the fight, and outmaneuver Abbott’s scare tactics. Texans are watching. And we’re done with this bullshit. Stay loud. Stay smart. And let’s take our state back.