Amid Town Hall Meetings Aversion, One Texas Lawmaker Loses It When Challenged By Kids [Video]

AUSTIN, TX — Amid heightened political divisiveness, Republican lawmakers have exhibited an aversion to engaging in town hall-style discussion for fear of being shouted at about topical issues. One state senator took the plunge on Monday, but he was the one who ended up doing the yelling — to an audience composed primarily of schoolchildren as young as 13 years old.

The spectacle unfolded when Don Huffines, a Republican who represents District 16 in the Texas Senate, met with Richardson ISD students and parents at the state Capitol on Monday. In a video taken by a crowd member, Huffines is seen growing irritable and exasperated when a child challenged the GOP-championed idea of providing school vouchers to parents wanting to send their kids to private schools.

What set Huffines off in particular was a question from a student whose parents had sent her to a private school before enrolling her in the public school system, noting that the $5,000 vouchers being contemplated for "school choice" aren't even enough to cover an entire year of tuition.

“It doesn’t pay for all their education does it?" Huffines responded. "The $5,000 won’t pay for it. So it doesn’t pay for it. So you’re saying that OK, since we’re not giving them enough money to pay for all their education then screw 'em, they can’t go to private school? Do you want me to give them $15,000, is that what you want? So they can all go to Hockaday, they can all go to St. Mark? You want me to give them a full tuition? That is the most selfish thing I’ve ever heard!”

He wasn't done: “That is selfishness!" Huffines reiterated. "What are you scared of? What are y’all scared of?” the senator asked with his voice raised.

Well, it is, after all, taxpayer money that would subsidize those vouchers, one member of the crowd helpfully noted. Huffines wasn't pleased by the logic.

“What makes you think it’s your money?” the senator shouted in response. “They’re the taxpayers. It’s the businesses. They’re the taxpayers. Sixty-two percent of all property tax is paid by business.”

Related story: On Account Of All The Shouting Elsewhere, Texas Republicans Aren't Staging Austin Town Halls

The gathering was a scheduled meeting among four lawmakers during Texas PTA Rally Day in Austin, with State Rep. Linda Coop, Sen. Van Taylor and Rep. Angie Chen Button also attending. Huffines' two-minute turn was the, let's say, most spirited portion of the meeting, but not necessarily for the right reasons.

Richardson ISD parent Meredyth Childress posted the exchange on Facebook.

Through a spokesman, Huffines later offered a partial apology on Monday night for his “tone” during the encounter. But even in his apology, he complained he had been victimized by an "ambush-style attack."

Here's Huffines' full, post-meeting statement issued by his spokesman, Matt Langston:

“While the policy was right, Senator Huffines’ tone and delivery today did not live up to the level of civil discourse that he always expects of himself and others. Senator Huffines is unapologetic in his support for education choice, because it's a policy that supports students. He will not hide from passionate or heated debate on the issue. Where other politicians might have run, Don Huffines stayed and endured the ambush-style attack, then calmly answered more questions for 15 more minutes, including questions from students.”

Did we mention this was a gathering mostly comprising kids, some as young as 13 years old?

Photo: Don Huffines speaks at a Ted Cruz rally in 2016. Credit: Stewart F. House/ Getty Images News/ Getty Images