(Austin, TX)  Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) Friday officially called on State Leaders to prioritize Texas taxpayers and families by committing the entirety of the State’s Border Security Reimbursement submission towards the elimination of property taxes and the abolition of the scandal-plagued Texas Lottery.

TFR welcomes Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that Texas has formally submitted its request for federal reimbursement of the billions of dollars Texas taxpayers spent securing the border during the Biden Administration’s border crisis. According to the Governor’s Office, Texas incurred more than $10 billion in border security costs through Operation Lone Star and is seeking reimbursement from the federal government. (Texas.gov)

For years, Texas taxpayers were forced to shoulder costs that rightly belonged to the federal government. If Texas receives full reimbursement, it presents a unique opportunity to deliver meaningful relief to the taxpayers who ultimately footed the bill.

These funds should not be absorbed into government growth, new spending programs, or special-interest projects. Instead, every dollar reimbursed to the State of Texas should be dedicated to reducing the tax burden on Texans and advancing structural reforms that permanently improve the state’s fiscal outlook.

Specifically, TFR urges state leaders to dedicate the entirety of any reimbursement toward two critical priorities benefitting Texas Taxpayers and Families directly and immediately:

1. The elimination of property taxes: allowing Texas families to keep more of their hard-earned money and move Texas towards true property ownership. Committing the money to buying-down school M&O property tax and lowering the overall tax burden. Property taxes have continued to spiral out of control, punishing taxpayers through increased government spending. 
2. Abolish the Texas Lottery: ending the government-run predatory gambling scheme that exploits and preys on the vulnerable, has been plagued by scandal and corruption, and failed to deliver on its promise of transforming school funding; while redirecting state finances toward more transparent and accountable funding mechanisms.

This reimbursement represents an opportunity to convert an infamous fiscal burden into a pivotal taxpayer victory. State leaders should seize it.

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Texans for Fiscal Responsibility is an independent non-profit organization seeking to illuminate the actions of government, educate and equip citizens to effectively advocate for pro-taxpayer and pro-family reforms, and hold lawmakers accountable for their actions.