Claire Reynolds
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?
So I’m not an expert on any scientific issue, really, but I know that we need to be listening to the scientific experts. They’re telling us that we should have been investing in prevention measures like breeding sterile flies for decades. I know we had some of that going, but current and prior administrations really dropped the ball.
This issue directly affects my district. We need to ramp up sterile fly production the same way we ramped up vaccine production during COVID. We need comprehensive screening and monitoring of livestock on the ground and to quarantine quickly and aggressively any livestock that is infected.
I’m sure there is more that we should be doing, so I would want to hear from actual experts in the field and then do what they tell us need to be done.
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?
The people in my district do not want data centers in their counties. I don’t believe a large-scale moratorium is realistic, but I do believe that the state legislature needs to change the law and allow counties and unincorporated areas to have more power over what kind of industry is built in their areas.
In addition, I’d want to see legislation passed that requires data centers to provide very detailed documentation on how much water will be used, how much electricity, the effects of pollution if they decide to build their own power plant, the effect on the environment and local wildlife, how much noise and light pollution will be generated, and how many permanent jobs will be guaranteed (and they should be union jobs).
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?
So again, I’m not an expert on this, but I do know that we are not taking water concerns nearly as seriously as we should be taking them. We should be building new reservoirs, recharging our aquifers when we have large amounts of rain, upgrading our infrastructure to minimize water loss, and placing conservation burdens not just on the farmers and residents, but on industry. We also need to invest in research on new technologies – desalinization and re-use of brackish and/or non-potable water.
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?
If you don’t currently have the ability to support a new industrial customer, you don’t ask the taxpayers to pay to bring them on unless you have enforceable commitments on benefits that you will obtain from that industrial customer. We should be investing in creative ways to create, store and transport energy that minimizes water usage and damage to the environment.
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?
One of the greatest shames (and there were many) of the Trump administration was the long-term damage it did to our scientific communities and the research they’ve been doing. We need to move control of federal research grants away from the president and put them under Congressional control, or pass legislation that will prevent something like this from happening again. (Obviously Congress needs to reinstate these grants and reimbursements ASAP.)
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 am a pro-vaccination person. However, I believe we live in a time when people do not trust the government or the medical community, so I don’t know that mandatory vaccination policies will necessarily combat that. It may make it worse. I would support massive public outreach and education to teach people about how vaccines are made and how they literally save millions of lives. That will need to start with a new presidential administration, unfortunately.
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?
My non-fancy answer: We have the scientific method for a reason. I believe that when an idea has been tested and argued about enough that the majority of the reputable scientific community agrees with it, it is probably a safe bet that it is a good idea. We need to do a much better job of empathizing with people’s fears and then showing them – in person if necessary – how the scientific community came to that conclusion.
I love the idea of sponsoring science scholarships for kids in “science-adverse” communities. Engaging in outreach by showing people how devices are made, how vaccines are manufactured – show them the work that we did to get where we are.