Rick Perry opposes secession for Texas

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) does not support the petition requesting that the White House allow Texas to peaceably secede from the union.

"Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our union and nothing should be done to change it," Perry's press secretary, Catherine Frazier, said in a statement given to the Dallas Morning News on Monday. "But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government."

A petition on the White House website to "peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own new government" had more than 64,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning. 

The White House has pledged to provide a formal response to all petitions on the We the People website that receive more than 25,000 signatures within 30 days, meaning the Texas secessionists can expect a response to their request.

Perry, a states'-rights advocate, former candidate for the GOP presidential nomination and a subject of speculation about another run in 2016, has made comments in the past suggesting he is sympathetic to the idea of secession. Perry joked in 2009 that since Texas joined the union with the understanding the state could leave "any time we want ... we’re kind of thinking about that again."

Perry later clarified that Texas is a "unique" and "independent" state but that "there is absolutely no reason to dissolve" the union of the states.

"Now more than ever, our country needs strong leadership from states like Texas that are making tough decisions to live within their means, keep taxes low and provide opportunities to job creators so their citizens can provide for their families and prosper," Frazier continued in the statement. 

"We cannot allow Washington’s tax-and-spend, one-size-fits-all mindset to jeopardize our children’s future, undermine our personal liberties and drive our nation down a dangerous path to greater dependence of government."

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