Even the liberal media is calling out the Texas Democrats for this money grift they just pulled on taxpayers.
Remember last summer when Texas Democrats ran off to Washington DC for their protest against democracy?
Despite pledging not to accept per diem money during the quorum break this summer, ABC13 has learned that only a few Democrats have returned the money.
This summer, the majority of Texas House members broke quorum and threw two special sessions into chaos. A large group traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers over voting legislation.
It turns out they profited handsomely for that trip and they lied to taxpayers about what would become of the money they were paid by the state.
While there, the many pledged not to accept special session per diem. But it turns out, the majority of them did.
The state comptrollers office said the money was automatically placed in lawmakers' accounts. Data shows it was about $12,000 in per diem from July and August. In order to not accept the per diem, lawmakers had to return the money to the comptroller's office.
In July, more than 50 House Democrats broke quorum. Data obtained by ABC13 shows only nine returned the money, including just one from the Houston area.
During the quorum break, Howard and State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez (D - Dallas) left the country and attended a wedding in Portugal. Records show Howard returned per diem, but Gonzalez did not. According to records, Gonzalez received $12,155 in per diem during July and August.
"That's preposterous. If you're going to walk out and go stage a protest in D.C. and then catch a flight to Portugal, if you're collecting state money, you're going to have to a lot of trouble from your constituents," State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R - Houston) said. "That's at least my prediction."