John Washington III: Texas Homeowners Will Soon Learn Whether the Promised $1,500 Is Real — 'The People Deserve Results, Not Empty Promises'

John Washington III turned Monday to the biggest household-money promise of the Texas election — the $1,500 payment pledged to every household in the state — and warned that Texans are about to learn whether it will actually be kept. "Soon, we'll find out whether Texas homeowners actually receive that promised $1,500 or whether the new Governor of Texas will turn out to be just like the rest — making promises to the people without delivering on them," he wrote.

He closed with the standard he said the promise should be judged by: "The people deserve results, not empty promises." The statement sets a public test for the incoming administration before it has taken office — delivery, not the pledge itself, is what he said will count.

The promise he named is a matter of public record. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa campaigned on sending $1,500 to every Texas household from the state's Rainy Day Fund — the Economic Stabilization Fund she said has grown to about $27 billion — a plan KPRC 2 has reported would withdraw about $17 billion, leave about $10 billion in reserve, and require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Texas Legislature before a single check could move. No timeline has been approved, and Hinojosa does not take office until January 2027, when the Legislature also convenes.

For Houston households, the wait Washington described is the story: the money has been promised, the votes in Austin have not been taken, and nothing has been delivered. His statement gives that wait a name and a deadline of public accountability — when the new governor's first session opens, Texans will be watching whether the $1,500 arrives or joins the list of promises that did not.