“No Exceptions, No Delays…. Open Texas NOW.”

That’s the call to action of a resolution passed nearly unanimously by the Republican Party of Texas executive committee, urging Gov. Greg Abbott to “immediately rescind all COVID-related mandates, closures, and restrictions” and reopen the state.

Consisting of one man and one woman from each of the state’s 31 senate districts, the SREC is, essentially, the governing body of the Republican Party of Texas, meeting several times a year to do the party’s business, such as organizing convention and passing resolutions.

Rolando Garcia, the newly elected committeeman for Senate District 15 in Houston who authored the “Open Texas Now” resolution, says he was motivated by Abbott’s announcement last week, which allowed some businesses to open at 75 percent capacity while others were forced to remain closed.

“[Abbott’s] announcement last week about another incremental increase in capacity was the last straw. It is so blindingly obvious to everyone that the lockdowns and restrictions were a mistake and devastated the lives of so many people,” Garcia told Texas Scorecard.

“I really hoped that last week’s announcement would finally put an end to this madness. Instead, we just got more games about 50 or 75 percent capacity … for some businesses … in some regions.

It’s such a farce at this point and totally disconnected from scientific or public health considerations. It was clear that the state party had to take a stand, so I authored and submitted that resolution.”

The resolution passed overwhelmingly during the committee’s meeting in Houston this past weekend, with 54 members in favor and just four voting against.

“If we were voting based on what we hear from the grassroots, it would’ve passed with every single vote,” Garcia added.

Garcia also stressed that the goal of the resolution was not to “punish” Abbott, but rather to urge a swift course correction.

“For a state party to publicly disagree with a sitting governor of the same party is not something any of us take lightly, and the instinct of loyalty to leadership is usually pretty strong among party activists.

So for this to happen underscores the depth of the anger and frustration out there,” said Garcia.