Cate Brennan
DemocraticQ1 In June 2026, USDA confirmed New World screwworm in Texas livestock for the first time in decades; as of early July, dozens of infestations have been confirmed across South Texas (USDA APHIS , 2026). USDA estimates a full-scale outbreak comparable to past infestations could cost the regional economy billions of dollars (USDA APHIS). What policies, if any, would you support to respond to the current outbreak and improve Texas’s agricultural biosecurity (practices and safeguards that prevent pests and diseases from spreading through livestock populations), and what evidence or considerations would inform that approach?
This isn’t really in my wheelhouse, but: We need to isolate and/or quarantine animals to keep it from spreading. We need to ensure CDC, NIH and similar Texas agencies are fully funded to conduct surveillance and testing.
Keywords: Quarantine, surveillance, testing
Q2 Texas is on track to become the nation’s leading data center market within the next three years (Bloom Energy, 2026). The state’s grid operator has more than doubled its 2030 forecast for data center power demand over the past year (ERCOT, 2025). Such growth brings economic opportunity while placing significant demands on water, land, and energy systems, raising questions about tax incentives, utility costs, and local community impacts. What policies, if any, would you support around water/energy allocation, tax incentives, or utility costs for data center development in Texas, and what evidence informs that position?
Public officials must not sign NDAs at any part of the timeline. Data centers must pay for all of their water and energy usage, and probably pay a premium to prevent overuse (which will happen). The corporations must contribute financially to adding new water and energy resources. Noise and light strict regulation is needed to prevent harmful effects on people, animals and the environment. The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality and EPA must also heavily regulate and monitor potential harm caused by chemicals, noise and light. During construction, developers must pay for road usage and harm, as well as other infrastructure. Landlords may not evict residents in favor of construction workers without a financial buyout of the renter, at their option, so that they can find suitable housing and moving expenses. Texas must immediately stop tax abatements to data centers and similar corporations. Again, I’m no expert, but I typically rely on a broad survey of independent research and government agencies.
Keywords: Overuse, regulation, harm, construction, research
Q3 Texas faces flooding while simultaneously experiencing water scarcity driven by drought, groundwater depletion, and population growth (TWDB, 2024). Hundreds of Texas waterways are listed as impaired for bacteria, mercury, and other pollutants, threatening water quality for communities across the state (TCEQ, 2024). Agriculture is the largest consumer of the state’s groundwater, yet it is also well positioned to be a valuable partner in conservation efforts. What policies, if any, would you support to improve Texas’s water infrastructure, and what considerations would guide your approach to the state’s agricultural economy?
Money that was approved in 2025 for more water resource development is a good start. We need to make sure it is used wisely and not given to unqualified developers. Texas must fully fund the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality and similar agencies to ensure public and animal health. Texas growers should be incentivized to grow products that use less water. Other agriculture conservation programs should be developed, funded and implemented. Texas should aggressively clean polluted waterways.
Keywords: Pollution, incentive, funding
Q4 The Texas power grid continues to face strain from extreme heat and increasing demand, including from data centers. What policies, if any, would you support to improve grid reliability for Texas consumers and businesses?
Data centers and other mass energy users should be required financially contribute to the energy grid. Texas should join the national energy grid. Texas should restore funding and development of alternative energy methods.
Q5 Texas universities and hospitals receive approximately $1.9 billion annually in NIH funding across 118 research sites, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and driving medical and scientific innovation (FASEB, 2025). NIH grants reimburse institutions for both direct research costs and indirect costs, the facilities, administration, and support infrastructure that make research possible. A 15% indirect cost cap proposed by NIH in 2025, currently blocked by federal courts, would sharply reduce this reimbursement below the rates Texas institutions have negotiated, cutting an estimated $300 million in annual support that institutions would need to absorb or backfill (Kamerlin & Elias, 2025). What policies, if any, would you support at the state or federal level to protect the long-term stability of Texas’s research infrastructure, and why?
Texas must lobby the federal government to restore the previous indirect cost cap, up to 20 percent. Fifteen percent is unreasonable and limits research. Texas should consider it’s own fund to assist researchers with indirect costs.
Q6 Texas kindergartners’ measles vaccination rate fell to 93.24% in the 2024-2025 school year, a decline from prior years amid a national resurgence (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2025). That year, Texas recorded 762 confirmed measles cases, including the deaths of two unvaccinated school-age children, in the state’s largest outbreak since 1992 (Texas DSHS, 2025). Measles can cause serious complications: roughly 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who contract it are hospitalized, and it can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, or death (CDC). As a policymaker, how do you approach engaging with communities that have concerns about infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety, and what policies, if any, would you support related to these issues, and why?
I was CEO of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners for six years so herd immunity is important to me. Outreach to parents via trusted sources, like PTAs, PNPs and pediatricians, is important. Mass immunizations at early childhood and elementary schools should be instituted. Peer pressure is important to vaccination hesitancy and public health. I support funding and implementing these programs.
Q7 Scientific evidence is generated through the systematic testing and evaluation of ideas. It provides knowledge the helps us understand the world and predict the likely consequences of different choices, such policy making related to public health, energy, agriculture, and environmental regulation. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you evaluate competing or uncertain scientific claims when making policy decisions? What role, if any, should that process play when scientific consensus and public opinion diverge?
Peer reviewed research should be the foundation of good public policy. Meta analysis is possible and should be done on almost all topics to inform public policy and regulation. If there is no scientific consensus, the public policy should probably be deferred until there is. That might not always be possible. When public opinion diverges, a comprehensive, sustained public education campaign should be implemented. It’s hard to adopt policies that are not supported by the public, so sometimes its better to do nothing and wait until public knowledge catches up.