Texit: The Political Debate Over Secession In Texas

As the national election heats up, some Texans are having a political debate of their own: what would happen if they seceded from the Union? While this 'Texit' secession has yet to gain much real-life traction, many have signed on for support of the notion online. In total, roughly 211,000 people follow the Texas Nationalist Movement page on Facebook. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has sent the state National Guard to the Texas-US border to prevent migrants from entering the country illegally, but frustration over the situation has prompted many Texans to imagine operating a country of their own.

However, leaving the country could have severe consequences for Texans across the state. One of the things that would be up in the air is Texas's billions of dollars in infrastructure funding. The White House approved $14 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding last year with 328 specific projects outlined for the money. And since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed, Texas is set to earn a little more than $12 billion for its transportation needs, to be invested in its roads, bridges, public transit, and airports. A total of $529 million is also set aside to help Texas with clean water.

All of this funding could be zapped away if Texas did enact a successful secession from the United States though, experts say. And beyond that, Texans could face wartime violence within their own state. "If Texas were to try to secede despite the fact that it is unconstitutional, it's safe to say we'd be headed straight for a civil war," Nicholas B. Creel, a business law professor at Georgia College & State University, told Newsweek. "As such, there is next to no way the federal government would send any money to the state itself."

Implications of Secession

All money previously appropriated would be held back, in addition to financial support like Medicaid, which Creel said currently is 60 percent covered in Texas by the federal government. "Leaving the union would cause an immediate and massive black hole to open up in the Texas state budget," Creel said.

Could They Actually Secede?

After the Civil War, the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White (1869) that states could not secede unilaterally from the Union. "...The Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible states," the majority wrote in the ruling at the time. However, in recent days, some political candidates have been suggesting Texas would indeed have that power if its residents chose to exit, similar to how Britain left the European Union. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Texas had the power to secede from the union earlier this week.

"If Texas decides they want to do that, they can do that," Haley said in an interview on the radio show The Breakfast Club. "If that whole state says, 'We don't want to be part of America anymore,' I mean, that's their decision to make," Haley said. She also added: "Let's talk about what's reality. Texas isn't going to secede."

Other Benefits Could Likely Disappear Too

In addition to Texas's infrastructure funding, many seniors would be on the line for lost Social Security and Medicare benefits if Texas did indeed leave the country and create its own. "If a state were to secede, its residents would no longer be under the jurisdiction of U.S. federal law, which includes the Social Security Act and its subsequent amendments," True Tamplin, the founder of Finance Strategists, previously told Newsweek.

Due to this, many political scientists and finance experts believe the separation would mean residents in the seceding state would lose eligibility for Social Security benefits as they would no longer be contributing their taxes to the federal program. Instead, Texas could create its own Social Security program or attempt negotiations to get some of its residents' former payments into the system back.

Medicare, also a federal program, would be in question as well as Texas plots its own way as a country. Seniors generally become eligible for Medicare at age 65 as long as they've worked in the United States and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. But if Texas and the United States were in a heated conflict over secession, these benefits could easily be disbanded.

"While hypothetically it's possible that secession could occur without forfeiting Medicare benefits, the reality is likely quite different," financial advisor and Houston First Financial president Christopher Hensley previously told Newsweek.. "In reality, it's probable that we would lose most, if not all, of our federal benefits in a secession scenario," he added.