We conservatives take care of Texas. That’s not what this GOP budget does | Opinion

Help ourselves

If you’re conservative like me, you believe in hard work, faith and taking care of your own. That’s why it’s worth asking: Are cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other programs really helping Texas families, or are they just hurting the people who need help the most?

Many in our communities rely on these programs: older adults, veterans, working parents and rural hospitals. Cutting them doesn’t shrink “big government” — it hurts our neighbors.

Let’s demand real solutions, not empty slogans. We can be fiscally responsible without taking away health care or groceries from hardworking Texans.

Conservative values should never mean turning our backs on our own.

- Brad Nation, Dallas

For the people

GOP Rep. Craig Goldman failed to explain in his July 13 guest commentary, “How Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill delivers for Texas on economy, border,” (8C) that tax cuts will add trillions of dollars to the national debt. The border is secure, but do we need to add $150 billion to border security? Once again, we’re adding billions to the national debt. If cutting waste, fraud and abuse would save Medicaid close to a trillion dollars, why are we waiting until 2027 to implement it?

Increasing the national debt will increase our cost of living. And we still have the on again/off again Trump tariffs to look forward to.

When will Goldman and his colleagues in Congress do their jobs and work for the people?

- Charlie Stewart, North Richland Hills

Flood plan

With more than 130 lives lost in the Central Texas floods, lawmakers should prioritize recovery and preparedness, not political maneuvering. Yet, with President Donald Trump pushing Gov. Greg Abbott to create five new Republican-leaning U.S. House districts, the special session of the Texas Legislature risks becoming a strategic power grab rather than a genuine response to tragedy.

This approach not only undermines the gravity of the humanitarian mission, but also erodes public trust in democratic processes.

- Angela von Trytek, Fort Worth

What danger?

Ryan Rusak uses his July 16 column to decry every instance of violence he can think of to blame the left for behaving atrociously toward ICE agents, police officers, innocent bystanders and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. (11A, “How many cops will be shot before we take left-wing violence seriously?”) But when it comes to the man who put a seal of approval on violence when he pardoned Jan. 6 rioters, he’s very quiet.

Oh, Rusak acknowledges that “some” of the current administration’s tactics are “extreme, abusive and even un-American,” but that’s a weak condemnation after all the examples used to demonize liberals.

Rusak should revisit the video or written descriptions of hateful and ugly violence against protesters and immigrants and change his idea about who is a danger and why this is happening.

- Dottye Holt, McKinney

America first?

It’s quite disheartening to confront the Trump administration’s daily decisions seemingly based solely on pandering to the selfish “America first” crowd. The United States’ status as a global leader in empathy, compassion and decency for many — one that made Christians so proud of their country — is being trampled daily.

- Preston Matthiesen, Fort Worth