Dan Patrick Accuses Dade Phelan of Blocking Major Conservative Legislation
Texas Lt. Governor Slams House Speaker Over Homestead Exemption Controversy
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to launch a scathing critique of House Speaker Dade Phelan, accusing him of obstructing major conservative legislation, specifically the $100,000 homestead exemption bill, which Patrick claimed Phelan attempted to block for several months.
Patrick, referring to Phelan as “RINORAD” (Republican in Name Only, Really a Democrat), stated, “Dade is a bald-faced liar on this issue, and he knows it. He says the House took the lead in passing the homestead exemption. The truth is he tried to kill the $100K homestead exemption for four months after he passed it, just for show.”
According to Patrick, Phelan initially modified the Senate’s homestead exemption bill, raising the amount from $70,000 to $100,000 in an effort to outdo the Senate’s proposal. However, Patrick alleged that despite this change, Phelan continuously refused to pass the bill, delaying the legislation and denying homeowners the larger tax cuts they could have benefited from.
In his post, Patrick detailed a series of meetings during which representatives of Phelan purportedly tried to pressure the Senate to abandon the $100,000 homestead exemption in favor of a different plan. He stated, “They told us the Speaker would not pass the $100K homestead exemption, and I better take their all-compression tax cut plan.”
The tension between Patrick and Phelan reached its peak during the first and second special sessions. Patrick emphasized that despite the House’s refusal to pass the exemption, he and the Senate stood firm, refusing to back down. Ultimately, the exemption passed with overwhelming support, with the House voting 133-4 in favor.
Patrick took particular offense at Phelan’s recent attempts to take credit for the homestead exemption in a public op-ed. He called Phelan’s efforts “revisionist history,” accusing him of rewriting the narrative to make it appear that he was supportive of the bill when, in reality, he had tried to kill it multiple times.
The post concluded with Patrick highlighting a growing discontent with Phelan within the House, noting that Phelan’s narrow primary win in East Texas was largely due to Democrat voters crossing over to support him.
Patrick’s strong words further emphasize the ongoing power struggle within the Texas Republican Party, with conservative factions like Patrick’s clashing with what they perceive as moderate or non-conservative leadership, represented by figures like Phelan.
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