State Party Calls for Phelan to Resign Before Upcoming Special Session
Speaker Phelan presiding over the Texas House on May 19, when he was accused of being intoxicated on the House floor. (Texas House Broadcast)
September 24, 2023 | Corpus Christi, Texas
The State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) voted 58-2 yesterday on a resolution calling for Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign before the upcoming legislative special session. It is being reported that only two SREC members voted against the resolution: Morgan Cisneros Graham (Senate District 27) and Bill Fairbrother (Senate District 5). Both voted by proxy.
The resolution cites Speaker Phelan’s pressure on House members to vote for the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton despite the weakness of the case, as well as his appointment of Democrat committee chairs and undermining of GOP Legislative Priorities during the Texas 88th Legislative Session:
WHEREAS, Speaker Dade Phelan voted for the impeachment of Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton and through his leadership team pressured other House members to vote for the impeachment as well, and continues to defend this action despite the weaknesses of the case as demonstrated in the Senate trial that resulted in General Paxton’s acquittal;
WHEREAS, Speaker Dade Phelan appointed nine (9) Democrats to chair important legislative committees, in direct defiance of the wishes of Republican voters and the Legislative Priorities of the Republican Party of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Speaker Dade Phelan ignored or actively undermined several GOP priorities during the regular session, failing to prioritize legislation to secure our borders and elections; and
WHEREAS, new leadership is needed in the House of Representatives for the upcoming special session, and potential subsequent special sessions, to ensure that conservative priorities are achieved and members are no longer pressured to act and vote contrary to the platform, principles, and priorities of the Party they represent and its voters; now
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas calls on Speaker Dade Phelan to step down from his leadership role as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and to allow a new Speaker to be elected after a caucus vote in accordance with the Republican Party of Texas Platform; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that should Speaker Dade Phelan fail to step down from the Speaker chair for this upcoming special session, the Republican representatives should vote to vacate the chair and allow for a new Speaker who has pledged to honor and support the priorities and principles of the Republican Party to be elected.
Montgomery County SREC Members Vote for the Resolution
Two of our Montgomery County Precinct Chairs, Gwen Withrow and Dale Inman, also serve on the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) and voted for the resolution.
“I was for full censure, but when that vote was delayed until the December SREC meeting, I supported the next best thing, a call for Speaker Phelan’s resignation,” said SREC member Gwen Withrow (SD 4), who serves on the State Party Resolutions Committee. “I have been an important vote on the Resolutions Committee as there are a few on the committee who always oppose censure resolutions. It was important to get this resolution passed immediately.”
SREC member Dale Inman (SD 4) said, “I lobbied for censure. I even spent a day in Orange County in Dade Phelan’s home district helping their County Executive Committee draft and move censure to a vote. When the call for Phelan’s resignation resolution was brought forward in the SREC, I supported it 100 percent.”
Montgomery County GOP Calls for the SREC to Act
On Friday, the Montgomery County GOP called for the SREC to honor the many county parties who had passed resolutions. We are thankful the SREC took a stand in calling for Phelan’s resignation.
The Montgomery County Republican Party passed two resolutions on August 14, calling for the immediate resignation of Speaker Phelan and joining in the censure of Speaker Phelan by the Orange County Executive Committee.
As of September 21, 20 Republican County Executive Committees in Texas had passed resolutions calling for Phelan’s resignation or censure. Resolutions are voted on by Precinct Chairs who make up the County Executive Committee (CEC) for the local county parties. Precinct Chairs are elected by voters on the Primary ballot, making the CEC the elected body closest to the people they represent. The passage of resolutions condemning Phelan by so many county parties shows that the grassroots is fed up with the RINO/Uniparty politics that are preventing real action on urgent issues such as the border crisis and securing our elections.
AG Paxton Renews Call for Speaker Phelan to Resign
The SREC’s September 23 resolution calling for Phelan’s resignation comes four months to the day of Attorney General Paxton’s original call for Phelan’s resignation on May 23, showing AG Paxton’s foresight outpaced that of the RPT.
On Saturday, AG Paxton once again called for Speaker Phelan to step down. He pointed to critical border legislation killed by the Speaker, money wasted on the sham impeachment, and Phelan’s intoxication on the House floor.
During the 88th Legislative Session, Speaker Phelan failed in his duty as an elected Republican Representative by allowing many Republican Priority Bills to die in the House. Many of these bills directly impact the safety of Texans, putting citizens in imminent danger. With the important issues still to be considered in the upcoming October special session, it is imperative that Phelan is replaced with someone who will work for, not against, Conservative Republican priority legislation.