Thread by @PatrickSvitek

.@GovAbbott, asked at Fort Worth presser about @DanPatrick's call for a special session: "That’s pretty goofy because everybody knows there’s only one person with the authority to call a special session, and that’s the governor." #txlege

Abbott: “If anybody tries to force this, it’s not gonna be like ... in the past where we’ll have 40 items. ... The only thing I will be putting on there are things I want [passed]. ... We’re gonna go 1 item at a time. ... Not until they pass that item, we move on to another item"

Abbott: "If anybody tries to hold hostage this...session to force a special...that person will be putting their members...potentially into a special...4 another 2 yrs until the next reg session bc I’m gonna make sure we get things passed, not just open up some debating society."

Abbott makes clear he backs the three priorities whose failure in the House caused Patrick to call for a special session. "Before now, and now, and in the future, I strongly support them," Abbott says.

Abbott downplays Big 3 tension. "If you look at the last few days of a session & what we’ve seen over decades, this is kind of how it happens always @ the end of the session. It’s like the last 2 min of a football game or a basketball game. It's where all the action takes place"

Abbott: "What I do know is, if the leaders in the Legislature will stop fighting with each other and start working together, we can get all of this across the finish line."