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Greg Abbott, the Republican Texas governor, threatened a city that he will withhold state funding if it goes through with a proposal that would reallocate local funds away from Israel’s military and back into the city.
The San Marcos City Council on 15 April voted in favor of the resolution that demanded a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Council’s resolution calls “for the immediate and permanent ceasefire in occupied Palestine, an arms embargo on Israel, recognition of Palestinian sovereignty, and the protection of constitutional rights for all people under national and international law.”
Abbott proudly posted his response to the city on X and called the resolution misguided and antisemitic.
“Israel is a stalwart ally of the United States and a friend to Texas,” his letter read. “I have repeatedly made clear that Texas will not tolerate antisemitism. Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies. Over a year ago, following Hamas’s cowardly attack and campus disruptions openly celebrating terrorism, I issued an executive order addressing antisemitism in higher education. I have proudly signed legislation prohibiting government entities from supporting efforts to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel. That remains the law here.”
Alyssa Garza, who co-sponsored the bill, responded to Abbott on Instagram that it was wrong “to conflate opposition to genocide with antisemitism is a deliberate and dangerous tactic to silence moral outrage.”
The resolution read: “We follow the lead of the World Health Organization, United Nations, Save the Children, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, His Holiness Pope Francis, more than 150 countries, and countless other organizations in the United States and around the world in calling for a ceasefire, because what happens internationally impacts our constituents locally. We believe in the shared humanity of all people, reiterate that all people are entitled to live life in safety and free from violence, and affirm these as common values held by San Marcos residents and leaders.”
San Marcos, a city of 70,000, sends $4.4 million in tax dollars to Israel every year and the bill calls for that money to be diverted to “essential domestic priorities.”
TRENDPOST: One social media user posted on X that he once lived in San Marcos and remembered the city for its scenery, great food, and great people.
“Insult to injury, San Marcos is also one of the poorest cities in the state. So the fact that this cocksucker [Abbott] is penny pinching 4 million for Israel is icing on the cake,” the user posted.
San Marcos has a poverty rate of 30.8 percent, and the median household income is $51,030.
The simple act by San Marcos to threaten to withhold funding from a country that is currently carrying out a genocide could result in the state to cut off funding—all in the name of Israel.
Another social media user posted: “Governor Abbott is claiming that the city of San Marcos is antisemitic because… They are considering a resolution that reallocates S4,434,675 of their city’s tax money away from funding Israel’s military and “towards essential domestic priorities. Can’t make this shit up.”
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Austin) called on the city to pass the resolution.
“While the proposed resolution may not bring peace to the oppressed overseas, it will declare what side of the history San Marcos residents are on. Furthermore, this cannot be dismissed as merely a foreign issue when our local taxpayer dollars are involved,” the statement read.
