Stances on abortion, elections are ‘accelerating’ business relocations to Texas

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Texas took controversial positions this week on two major issues: abortion and elections. But Texas Governor Greg Abbott defended both of them on CNBC Thursday, claiming the Texas stance would bring more business rather than deter companies.

“People vote with their feet, and this is not holding back the companies coming to the state of Texas at all. In fact, it speeds up the process of getting companies to Texas, ”he said on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street.

Late Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected an urgency motion by 5 to 4 votes not to enforce Texas’s new abortion law, also known as the Heartbeat Act. It is the most restrictive abortion measure in the country and prohibits abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

According to a new PerryUndem poll, the law could prevent about two-thirds of college-educated workers from entering the state.

Argued that more people are moving to Texas than any other state, Abbott said corporations were drawn to the state’s business climate, which he touted for its low regulation and constitutional income tax ban.

Abbott brought up the well-documented surge in companies leaving the liberal state of California for Texas. He said Tesla CEO Elon Musk “had to get out of California because of some California welfare policy, and Elon keeps telling me that he likes Texas welfare policy.”

Musk tweeted about the comment shortly after the interview ended.

“In general, I believe that the government should seldom impose its will on the people while striving to maximize their cumulative happiness,” wrote the billionaire. “But I’d rather stay out of politics.”

In general, I believe that government should seldom impose its will on the people while striving to maximize their cumulative happiness. Still, I would prefer to stay out of politics.

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 2, 2021

Tesla is building a sprawling factory in Austin to manufacture its Cybertruck pickup. Musk’s SpaceX is also expanding its space launch facility in South Texas and testing rocket engines in McGregor.

The governor also told CNBC that he plans to sign the electoral integrity law, which bans drive-through voting and threatens election officials with new criminal penalties. It was passed by the Republican-led legislature on Tuesday. Opponents say it disenfranchises blacks, Latinos and disabled voters.

Abbott insisted that the new law will make voting easier than before.

“When people look at the facts, they realize, wait a second, Texas is a really well-governed state,” he said.

When asked if the combination of Texas’s controversial abortion and electoral policies could deter investment and donation from the state, Abbott said he was not concerned.

“You need to understand that there are a lot of companies and a lot of Americans who like the social positions of the state of Texas,” he said.

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