Taxes
John Cornyn (R)
Cornyn voted for the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and has consistently pushed to make the individual rate cuts permanent before they snap back in 2025. As a senior Finance Committee Republican, he prioritizes making 100% bonus depreciation and R&D expensing permanent and supports permanent estate-tax repeal. He has filed multiple HSA-expansion bills and opposes raising the corporate rate. He has been notably skeptical — though rarely openly oppositional — of the broadest Trump tariffs, framing them as a tax on Texas exporters in private remarks reported by the Texas Tribune Q&A. He has expressed concern about ballooning federal debt from extending the tax cuts without offsets, while voting consistently to extend the cuts.
Ken Paxton (R)
Paxton describes himself as a 'strong fiscal conservative' who will 'cut taxes and stop the wasteful spending' that built $36T in debt. He praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as 'HISTORICAL legislation that's going to unleash economic growth.' His campaign explicitly supports Trump's tax agenda, the CLARITY Act for crypto, and rolling back 'harmful regulations' on energy. He has not published a position on the pending expiration of Trump-era individual tax cuts or on the 50-year mortgage proposal. Trump's endorsement frames him as fighting to 'Cut Taxes and Regulations.'
Sources
- Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, official campaign issues page, accessed May 2026. (full list)
- Sen. John Cornyn, official Senate website and 2026 re-election campaign issues page, accessed May 2026 (cornyn.senate.gov; johncornyn.com). (full list)
- Gabby Birenbaum, 'On the issues: A Q&A with Ken Paxton and John Cornyn,' Texas Tribune, April 20, 2026. (full list)
- Truth Social statement endorsing Paxton over Cornyn, May 19, 2026 (covered by CNBC, NBC News, Breitbart). (full list)
- Cornyn votes on USMCA (January 2020); Senate Finance Committee record on free-trade agreements; Cornyn statements on Trump-era tariffs (2018-2026) including measured opposition to broad agricultural tariffs harming Texas exporters. (full list)