“We need to use the reward” | Gov. Abbott details how San Antonio is benefiting from a huge budget surplus

SAN ANTONIO. Governor Abbott visited the city of Alamo Friday for an event in downtown San Antonio.

The Governor spoke at a dinner hosted by the Chamber of Commerce at noon. Lunch takes place at the Hyatt Regency River Walk.

Governor Abbott recently announced a $1 billion Texas infrastructure plan that will help ease traffic in San Antonio, among other initiatives.

“We need to use the bounty,” Gov. Abbott said of the state’s large surplus. Texas has a $33 billion surplus, the largest of any state, according to the governor.

He also talked about job growth in Texas and how that would help if a recession hits the US.

“Texas is in a far better position than any other state to withstand the coming recession,” Gov. Abbott said at the dinner. “We are in a good position with our booming economy…much better than in any other region.”

The governor also compared the Texas economy to that of other states.

“Our economy is much more diversified than other regions that you may or may not have seen,” Gov. Abbott said. “California is in deficit due to the technology economy, which has been hit hard.”

“Texas is producing oil and gas in our state, and this will help us in case of any economic downturn,” the governor said.

During lunch, the Governor also spoke about UTSA’s recent designation as a Tier 1 research institution and the huge investment that has been made to bring it to that status.

Watch the live stream of the discussion below: