State Rep. Jeff Barry (R-Pearland) sits on the two committees at the center of next session's biggest fight: the governor, lieutenant governor, and House Speaker all want agencies to cut spending 3% across the board — and Barry breaks down why you can't cut property taxes without cutting state spending first. As a freshman on Appropriations, he walks through how a budget bill actually becomes law, why "Robin Hood" school funding is about to collide with the push to eliminate local school taxes, and the insurance reform bill he says already stopped a rate hike for coastal homeowners.

Then Garrett takes over solo to break down the Talarico-Paxton Senate race turning into a real toss-up, why Governor Abbott's numbers are sliding in his own re-election bid, how data centers became the wedge issue nobody in the GOP wants to touch, and a wild pilot program out of El Paso ISD that's putting administrators back in the classroom as substitute teachers.

**Topics discussed:**
- The Texas budget process, from subcommittees to conference committee to the governor's veto pen
- The "Big 3's" push for 3% across-the-board agency budget cuts ahead of the 90th Legislature
- Why cutting property taxes requires cutting state spending first
- Property tax compression, homestead exemptions, and the fight over eliminating the M&O school tax
- Robin Hood recapture and funding for rural school districts
- The taxpayer-funded lobbying fight and the role of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB)
- Barry's bill eliminating the TWIA insurance tax and his push for a state reinsurance program
- New building codes aimed at making homes more storm-resistant
- The Ike Dike and protecting the Houston Ship Channel from storm surge
- Privatizing operation of state mental health hospitals
- The Talarico-Paxton U.S. Senate race and the Abbott-Hinojosa governor's race
- Data centers becoming a rural-vs-suburban political wedge issue
- El Paso ISD's plan to have central office administrators substitute teach

**Guest:** State Rep. Jeff Barry represents House District 29 (Pearland/Brazoria County) and serves on the House Appropriations and Natural Resources committees. Learn more or get involved at votejeffbarry.com.

**Sources:**
- *The Hill* — August 20, 2026 — [Texas, Iowa Senate races shift to toss-ups: Cook Political Report](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6041660-cook-political-report-texas-iowa-senate-races/)
- *The Texas Tribune* — By Gabby Birenbaum — August 20, 2026 — [Talarico floods Texas airwaves in U.S. Senate race as Paxton, GOP stay quiet](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/20/texas-us-senate-race-donors-ken-paxton-james-talarico/)
- *The Center Square* — [Polls show tight Texas governor race, closest margin in Abbott's career](https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_5e175925-bc41-467f-a20c-4682c21a9422.html)
- *The Texas Tribune* — By Paul Cobler and Alejandra Martinez — August 3, 2026 — [New Texas data center projects frozen until state audits them](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/03/texas-data-center-project-audit-greg-abbott/)
- *Texas Tribune* (via Houston Public Media) — By Jaden Edison — July 22-23, 2026 — [Texas' longstanding 'Robin Hood' school finance system will face a new legal challenge](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/2026/07/23/557775/west-texas-midland-district-lawsuit-school-finance-robin-hood/)
- *KFOX14/CBS4 El Paso* — [EPISD confirms central office staff, including superintendent, must sub eight days](https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/episd-confirms-central-office-staff-including-superintendent-must-sub-eight-days-this-year)
- *Houston Public Media* — By Lucio Vasquez — August 14, 2026 — [Texas schools see modest improvement in 2026 A-F ratings. Here's how they fared](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/2026/08/14/559560/texas-schools-see-modest-improvement-in-2026-a-f-ratings-heres-how-they-fared/)

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open & Episode Preview
1:17 Rep. Jeff Barry Joins the Show
4:27 How the Texas Budget Process Works
13:17 Cutting Spending to Cut Property Taxes
18:15 Robin Hood School Funding Explained
31:49 TWIA Tax Cut & Insurance Reform
40:53 The Ike Dike & Storm Surge Risk
48:32 Solo Segment: Senate Race Toss-Up
52:16 Data Centers Become a Political Wedge
54:34 El Paso ISD's Substitute Teacher Plan

Find us at seeingredpodcast.substack.com for full episodes. Follow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast. x.com/gwfulce

Rep. Jeff Barry: There Is No Free Tax Cut

Seeing Red: A Texas Politics Podcast

Rep. Jeff Barry: There Is No Free Tax Cut