Relieving Cost Pressure on Texas Families

A Responsible, Conservative Approach

Texas families are being squeezed from every direction — insurance, groceries, housing, and daily essentials.

The honest truth is this:

Government cannot magically lower prices — but it can stop making them worse.

My approach is grounded in fiscal discipline, economic reality, and respect for free markets. The role of government is not to replace the market — it is to remove pressure, restore accountability, and live within its means.

The Core Problem

Insurance, groceries, and housing costs are rising faster than incomes because cost pressure is stacking, and too often government is adding to that pressure instead of relieving it.

When government overspends, expands obligations, and passes costs downstream, families become the shock absorbers.

That must stop.

Policy Pillar 1: Use Surpluses to Relieve Pressure — Not Expand Government

Texas has run historic budget surpluses.

A surplus is not an excuse to grow government — it is proof taxpayers overpaid.

Responsible uses of surplus include:

• Targeted property tax compression

• Relief focused on primary residences

• Measures that slow taxable value growth

When taxable values stabilize:

• Carrying costs slow

• Replacement cost expectations stabilize

• Insurance pressure eases over time

This is not “spending.”

This is returning excess and reducing long-term pressure on families.

Guiding Principle:

A surplus should reduce pressure on families — not expand government.

Policy Pillar 2: Enforce Fiscal Discipline to Stop State-Level Inflation

Government cannot control the Federal Reserve — but it can control itself.

State and local governments fuel inflation when they:

• Grow spending faster than population and inflation

• Expand payrolls without restraint

• Lock in automatic escalators and long-term obligations

• Push costs into the private economy

I support:

• Spending growth tied to population + inflation

• No automatic budget escalators

• No off-book or unfunded commitments

Why this matters:

• Government spending competes with families for labor and resources

• That raises construction and repair costs

• That raises replacement values

• That raises insurance premiums

Guiding Principle:

Government spending doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it competes with families for labor and resources.

Policy Pillar 3: Reduce Insurance Cost Drivers — Without Price Controls

Conservatives do not believe in price controls — and neither do I.

But government can reduce the inputs that drive insurance costs.

Smart reforms include:

• Fighting fraud and abuse aggressively

• Reforming litigation incentives that inflate claims

• Encouraging mitigation and resilience credits

• Streamlining building codes without lowering safety standards

Responsible behavior should matter again:

• Fortified homes should be rewarded

• Long-term claim-free homeowners should benefit

• Risk-based fairness should be restored

Guiding Principle:

Insurance should reward responsibility — not punish it.

Policy Pillar 4: Keep Groceries and Daily Costs from Rising Further

Groceries are not expensive because stores are greedy.

They’re expensive because of:

• Transportation costs

• Energy costs

• Labor costs

• Regulatory burden

• Inflation

State government cannot promise cheaper groceries — but it can stop making them more expensive.

That means:

• Reducing unnecessary regulatory costs

• Keeping energy reliable and affordable

• Avoiding mandates that raise compliance costs

• Stopping stacked fees and taxes in supply chains

Guiding Principle:

The goal isn’t government control — it’s restraint.

What This Means for Texas Families

This approach:

• Respects free markets

• Restores accountability

• Reduces cost pressure without gimmicks

• Keeps government from becoming the problem

I won’t promise miracles.

I will promise discipline, honesty, and relief that doesn’t break the system.

In One Sentence

When government lives within its means, inflation slows, costs stabilize, and families can breathe again.