Texas Republican warns January will be insane regardless of who wins presidential election

Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales on Thursday urged the House to focus on stepping up and leading the country, warning that half of the country will go "insane" in January regardless of which party wins the presidency.

The Texan, who is known as a "wild card" because he has voted with both Republicans and Democrats, said both parties need to step up in the House next year and work together to advance legislation instead of fighting each other.

“Let’s say Donald Trump wins — half the country is going to go insane. Let’s say, Kamala Harris wins, half the country is going to go insane,” Gonzales said at the Texas Tribune Festival, per The Hill. “So regardless, this January we’re going to be in a very difficult spot — which is why I think it’s so important for the House to lead.”

Gonzales said the country needs bravery in Congress moving forward, meaning that lawmakers should focus on bipartisan solutions to problems in the country and admitting when mistakes are made.

“Part of rolling up your sleeves and finding the solution is that the problem gets on you. You get your hands dirty,” he said. “It’s easy to go, I don’t want to touch it — that’s somebody else’s issue, I’ll blame someone else for what’s wrong.”

The lawmaker said one area of bipartisanship is the House's H–2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act, which would make work visas in the U.S. valid for three years. The three-page bill is co-sponsored by 23 Republicans and 14 Democrats.

"Other people want [longer visas] — but I think you have to start somewhere," Gonzales said. "You have to crawl before you can walk — you have to walk before you can run.”

Another bill that Gonzales hopes to see bipartisanship on is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires voters to show proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections. Noncitizens are already banned from voting in federal elections, but Gonzales said additional safeguards that make it even more difficult for them to vote should not be an issue.

“You can lose an election, but if you don’t believe in election, there’s nothing more dangerous," Gonzales said. "So whether noncitizens are voting or not, really doesn’t matter. People have to know that noncitizens aren’t voting. So why can’t we come together and make sure?”

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.