HOUSTON– Texas’ attorney general filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to halt a guaranteed income program set to launch this month for Houston residents.
The program from Harris County, where Houston is located, will provide “no strings attached” $500 monthly cash payments for 18 months to 1,928 county residents. Those eligible for the program must have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level and must live in one of the identified high-poverty ZIP codes.
The program is funded with $20.5 million from the American Rescue Plan, the pandemic relief law that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021.
Federal pandemic funding has prompted dozens of cities and counties across the country to implement guaranteed income programs as ways to reduce poverty, reduce inequality and put people to work.
In his lawsuit, filed in civil court in Houston, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the program the “Harris Handout” and described it as a “socialist experiment” by county officials that violates the Texas Constitution and ” is an illegal and unlawful government overreach. ”
“This arrangement is blatantly unconstitutional,” Paxton said in a statement. “Tax dollars should be spent and used lawfully to promote the public good, not simply redistributed without accountability or reasonable expectation of a public benefit.”
Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who asked Paxton to look into the county’s program, called it an “incredible waste” of taxpayer money and “lottery socialism.”
Harris County officials have reversed Paxton’s lawsuit, which asks for a temporary restraining order to halt the program. The first payments would be paid out on April 24.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, said Guaranteed Income is one of the oldest and most successful anti-poverty programs, and she sympathizes with these families whose plans and livelihoods become entangled in the political stance of Trumpian leaders in Texas.”
“This lawsuit from Ken Paxton looks more like a MAGA manifesto than a legal document,” said Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who led the program, known as Uplift Harris.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said the program “is about actually helping people by giving them direct cash assistance – something governments have always done.”
The lawsuit is the latest legal battle in recent years between Harris County, Texas’ largest Democratic stronghold, and the Republican Party-dominated state government.
Elections in the country’s third most populous province have been under scrutiny for several years. The Texas Legislature passed new laws in 2023 to gain more influence over elections in Harris County.
Last year, Texas took over the Houston school district, the state’s largest, after years of threats and lawsuits over student performance. Democrats labeled the move as political.
Austin and San Antonio have previously offered guaranteed income programs in Texas. El Paso County will roll out its own program later this year. No lawsuits have been filed against these programs.
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