When State Senator Wendy Davis heard the Republican Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Tommy Williams, claim that GOP education cuts in 2011 totaled only $800 million, she didn’t wait for PolitiFact. She pushed back immediately calling his figure “absurd” and then quickly produced data from the Legislative Budget Board correctly citing the cut as $5.3 billion.No one should believe that Williams (R, SD4 – Woodlands) really thought that the cut he and other GOP Legislators made to public education in 2011 was $800 million rather than $5.3 billion. Williams is a budget expert and Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Every detail of the Texas budget is available to him.
Williams lowballing
More likely, Tommy Williams stated the incorrect number in an attempt to lower voter expectations and reduce the amount of money required to restore the Texas public school funding previously cut by GOP leaders.
Davis forces Williams to back down
Davis’ smart, tough move has forced Williams to admit that he was wrong and that he far understated Texas school cuts.
