Gov. Greg Abbott is facing fierce criticism after dismissing questions about state and local officials' response to the deadly Texas Hill Country flooding, calling efforts to assign blame "the word choice of losers" and likening the ongoing disaster to a football game.

The special session agenda includes 18 legislative priorities, with several directly addressing the recent disaster.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday directed lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map as part of a special session that kicks off later this month, as the GOP seeks to retain its narrow US House majority after next year’s midterm elections.

Abbott’s lengthy agenda for the Texas Legislature includes unfinished business, such as eliminating the STAAR test, and conservative priorities.

The Republican governor laid out an ambitious agenda that includes an unexpected array of conservative bills that failed during the regular session.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) pushed back against a football analogy made by Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday, saying the catastrophic flooding in the state and the region’s response to the disaster is “not a game.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd were asked about the response to deadly flash flooding during a press briefing in Kerrville, Texas.

The claim spread widely on social media after the floods that devastated the Lone Star State in early July 2025.