Keywords: public education, Department of Education, funding, Trump, Kassar, Elon Musk, education policy, youth advocacy, billionaire influence

Summary: This was a press conference organized by student advocates and Texas Democratic lawmakers to oppose efforts by the Trump administration and allies to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and to criticize Texas voucher proposals. Speakers argued that the department and its Office for Civil Rights are essential for enforcing civil rights protections, supporting special education, Title I, Pell Grants, career and technical education, and other federal education programs. They said eliminating the department would weaken oversight, shift power to states that have a poor record on student protections, and harm marginalized, low-income, disabled, and rural students. Congressman Greg Casar framed the issue as a transfer of public money from schools to billionaires, tying the department fight to federal budget and tax-cut debates and to Texas voucher efforts. State Representative Gene Wu said Texas public education is already near collapse and warned that losing federal support would worsen school closures, staffing shortages, and class-size increases. Representative Gina Hinojosa highlighted Texas’s past special education cap and attacks on Section 504, and said she filed bills to route federal block grants directly to schools if federal policy changes move forward. Representative Vicki Goodwin said the state should fund schools rather than vouchers and noted underfunding of special education and inflation pressures. Round Rock ISD trustee Melissa Ross and Texas AFT president Zef Capo emphasized that federal oversight protects students and that Texas has a history of underfunding and mishandling special education, meals, and other services. The final speaker, Westwood High School senior Eliza Abert, said the loss of federal education support would most harm low-income and middle-class students and called on attendees to oppose the changes. No votes were taken; the event ended with a call for public pressure on lawmakers and continued advocacy.

Transcript Highlights:

• experience fighting back at the national level and against Donald Trump specifically: Congressman Greg Kassar
• Good morning, I'm Greg Kassar.

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas, what is the specific purpose of creating Senate Congressional District 35 represented by Greg Kassar
• CD35, of course, is represented by Greg Kassar.
• The ultimate result of your changes in Central Texas is to pair Greg Kassar with Lloyd Doggett in a majority

Bills: SB 2, SB 5, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, HB4, HB1, HB3, HB20, HB22, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, HB4, SB2, SB5

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments

Transcript Highlights:

• Congressman Kassar? Sorry, who? Kassar from here in Travis, I don't believe he testified. Okay.

Bills: SB 2, SB 5, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, HB4, HB1, HB3, HB20, HB22, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, HB4, SB2, SB5

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, just a quick follow-up question for Congressman Kassar.
• Our districts, and again, when you talk to Congressman Kassar, when you talk to Congresswoman Garcia,
• I'm in Congressional District 35, represented by Greg Kassar.
• Kassar a district; he represents a part of Austin, but we did take him down a new road.
• I live in San Antonio and Greg Kassar lives in Austin. How is he representing me?

Bills: HB4

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know that Congressman Kassar has a district in the current map that runs from... the north side of
• This is District 35, which is represented by Congressman Greg Kassar, who is my congressman.
• I've looked at dozens of proposed redistricting maps for Texas and I see more Kassar-like districts appearing

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• redraw our local districts so that at least one of our excellent congressmen, Lloyd Doggett or Greg Kassar

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• redraw our local districts, with the result that our excellent Congressman Lloyd Doggett and Greg Kassar

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• cities in America by carving it up and pitting two progressive champions, Congressman Doggett and Kassar

Bills: HB4, HB 4

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, 997, house, all