Blog
February 05, 2026
There Is Nothing Like 2026
Over the past year, seniors have generally experienced a sickening downward trend. Texas has won the dubious title of having the most starving seniors, and food insecurity is rising rapidly. Cuts and layoffs of government service providers, especially Social Security workers, hit seniors hard. New government programs, including an experiment in Texas that would undermine Medicare, would further undermine our ability to survive.
Yet, there are no sad faces at meetings of the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans because we have the solution and it is organizing. Each of our seven Texas chapters meets monthly to figure out the terrain and plan more actions. On the streets and at the polling places, organized retirees hold the future.
The Dallas Chapter met on February 4. We began with a thoughtful account of events abroad by State Treasurer Jan McDowell, who has just returned from Palestine. We heard an appeal from congressional candidate Zeeshan Hafeez that included simple solutions for retirees like cutting military spending to save domestic programs. Field Organizer Judy Bryant reviewed our recent activities, including our news conference outside a Social Security headquarters and our successful state convention in Georgetown. Chapter President Kenneth Williams gave a piercing review of the political situation.
We encouraged everyone to vote by mail. We informed ourselves and prepared to provide leadership in our communities. After the meeting, several retirees drove to Hutchins to oppose the giant human warehouse being built there by the Trump Administration.
We’re Not Alone
Even though many of us are not union members, TARA has the full strength of the union movement behind us. Among our Texas allies is the vibrant youth movement named Young Active Labor Leaders (YALL). They elected new officers on January 31.
Coincidentally, their new State Chair, Stu Becker, was also chosen by the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to accept their John Lewis Laborers award. Seniors, youth, labor, and the civil rights movement are moving powerfully together!
Election Outlook Shaken Up
Brother Taylor Rehmet’s upset victory in a previously Republican State Senate district is still being analyzed by the pundits. Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, under the guidance of Judy Bryant and with the help of the Texas AFL-CIO, participated.
Over a week later, election analysists are still puzzling over what Rehmet’s victory means. Is Fort Worth, the only remaining Republican-led city in Texas, about to go Democratic? Has the Latino vote swung decisively to Democrats? Has big money (Taylor was outspent 10-1) lost its power? Are far-right MAGA Republicans a lot less popular today than they think they are?
What all the pundits and analysts seem to be missing, or are trying hard to ignore, is that Brother Rehmet of the Machinists Union had solid support from organized workers and retirees. Unions enjoy higher approval ratings than any political organization or person. Union popularity and the many volunteers for Rehmet had a profound effect on the victory. As Rehmet himself told newspersons on election night, “This is a victory for ordinary people!”
There’s Nothing Like 2026
There are no precedents in American history for the situation that we face in 2026. Every organization, especially the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, is reviewing the battlefields and adjusting our strategies. Ideas are solicited from every activist in the state. Hopefully, with statewide input, TARA will have new recommendations ready before the next State Board meeting on February 17.
In Solidarity
Gene
Gene Lantz, President
