Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took a shot at the Democratic strongholds of California and New York, arguing on Monday that they enacted policies that pushed away business.
“States like California and New York,” Abbott said during his State of the State Address, “they use heavy-handed government tactics that drive away businesses. The Texas Legislature, on the other hand, has built a framework that helps small businesses thrive.”
His comments came as Texas saw an influx of businesses and new residents. Big names —Â Oracle, Charles Schwab, and Hewlett-Packard — are moving to headquarters from California to Texas. At the end of last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also revealed he had left California for the lone star state.
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For 2019, Forbes ranked Texas as the second-best state for business, while New York came in 28th and California in 31st. The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council ranked Texas first in its index for the most entrepreneur-friendly states. Meanwhile, California was ranked as the second-worst and New York as the fourth worst. It was a similar story or the tax environments small businesses faced.
The offices for Govs. Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo did not immediately respond to Fox News’ requests for comment.
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“Texas remains …Â the land of unmatched opportunity and a comeback is already materializing,” Abbott said, alluding to the impact of the coronavirus shutdowns.
He pointed to months of consecutive job growth in the state, including the 64,000 total non-agricultural jobs added in December.