Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) said yesterday evening that he would seek to leave Congress early amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Why it matters: Gonzales was facing a push for his expulsion — along with bipartisan calls for him to step down — after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide.

The latest: "There is a season for everything, and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas," Gonzales said in a post on X.

• It was not immediately clear when Gonzales would officially leave Congress.

Catch up quick: The announcement came the same day that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who is facing allegations of sexual harassment, announced he would resign from Congress. Swalwell was also facing threats of expulsion.

Context: Gonzales had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. He dropped his reelection bid following the March primary.

• Brandon Herrera, a pro-gun rights social media influencer, will face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout for the seat in the November general election. The sprawling 23rd District stretches from San Antonio to El Paso.

What they're saying: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) — who was leading the effort to expel Swalwell — said on X that Gonzales' move to leave Congress was "the right thing to do."

• Herrera, in reposting Gonzales' announcement, said "Nature is healing."

What we're watching: Gonzales had roughly eight months remaining in his term, which runs through early January 2027.

• It's unclear if Gov. Greg Abbott will call for a special election to fill the remainder of Gonzales' term.

Will Hurd, the former Republican congressman from San Antonio, has joined Austin-based 3D construction firm Icon as it makes a push for more government contracts.

Why it matters: The firm is looking to diversify its revenue streams amid a housing market still slowed by high interest rates.

Driving the news: The company is announcing today the launch of Icon Prime, a dedicated defense and space tech business unit focused on deploying Icon's robotic construction systems for the U.S. military and NASA.

Between the lines: Hurd is the president of the new unit, leading strategy as Icon builds its government partnerships, the company also announced today.

• "The demand signal is through the roof," Hurd tells Axios about the need for inexpensive, rapidly scalable military housing.
• Meanwhile, the "imagery coming back from Artemis II is driving engineering here at Icon right now" as NASA and commercial space companies prepare to send material and people to the Moon.

By the numbers: To date, Icon has been awarded more than $360 million in government contracts, including for the construction of military barracks.

The intrigue: Hurd, a former intelligence officer who represented the 23rd District for three terms before Gonzales, has been a big critic of President Trump, even running briefly for president ahead of the 2024 election as a never-Trumper.

• "When it comes to making sure our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardians lay their head safely down each night ... that's not a bipartisan issue, it's a nonpartisan issue that everyone can get behind," Hurd tells Axios.

Edward Eastland, a director of the Camp Mystic campus where 27 people died during last year's flooding, said in court yesterday that camp officials didn't see social media posts warning about threats of heavy rainfall days before the incident. (Express-News 🔑)

🍖 Lucy Cooper's Ice House founder and chef Braunda Smith will appear alongside Bobby Flay on Season Seven of the Food Network's "BBQ Brawl," which premieres May 11. (SA Report)

🛍️ Texas jewelry company Kendra Scott's Yellow Rose, a Western-inspired lifestyle store, is now open at Pearl. (SA Business Journal 🔑)

We're wondering why avocados are so cheap — even as everything else is so expensive.

Why it matters: A staple food in these parts, avocados are great for helping manage cholesterol.

Driving the news: Small avocados now go for 55 cents a pop at H-E-B.

• Our Axios Austin colleagues, who have been on the avocado beat for years, pointed out that that's way down from June 2022, when they were clocking in at about $1.08 apiece.

By the numbers: The U.S. has been importing record numbers of avocados, per the trade group Avocados from Mexico.

• Bumper crops, driven by healthy rains, have led to the glut in supply, Bloomberg recently reported.

The bottom line: We need to build cars that run on guac.