AUSTIN, Texas (East Texas News) — A tense political clash is unfolding as the Texas House enters its second day of confrontation, with Governor Greg Abbott issuing civil arrest warrants against the Democrats who are absent from the chamber, while some Democratic lawmakers prepare to retaliate against the redrawing of Texas’s electoral boundaries by redrawing their own state lines.
Yesterday’s Texas House session lasted only a few minutes before it was adjourned, as the vote tally showed fewer than the two-thirds of required members were present. After the tally, the Speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burrows, announced that he had signed the civil arrest warrants issued by Governor Abbott against all absent members.
“I’m disappointed that, while these members are here fulfilling their constitutional duty,” Burrows said, “others are out of state, in New York, in Chicago, in places that do not represent.” He added that he has “signed the civil arrest warrants” and that he “will work with the Department of Public Safety to locate the members.”
Governor Abbott reaffirmed his statement that the members who did not appear in the House have effectively forfeited their seats, and he is now pursuing steps to determine whether they can be removed from office.
“I believe they have lost their seats in the state Legislature because they aren’t doing the job they were elected to do,” Abbott explained.
Although civil arrest warrants have been issued, these warrants are only enforceable for those who are currently within the state’s borders. Since the absent members in question are presently outside the state, the current warrants are largely symbolic. However, yesterday afternoon Abbott posted on X that the Texas Rangers should investigate the absent House members “for possible bribery and any other potential legal violations related to their refusal to appear to achieve quorum, to perform their duties, and to cast their votes.” The order asserts that the absent Democrats “sought or received funds to evade carrying out legislative activities and voting,” which could constitute an offense under the Texas Penal Code.
If the Texas House Democrats who are absent are charged with bribery, those charges could constitute a felony, allowing the state to extradite individuals beyond its borders.
Meanwhile, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, is leading a plan to retaliate against Texas’s redistricting by drawing maps in other states to counter any potential shift in seats for the Texas House.
“We’re going to fight fire with fire,” Martin exclaimed. “We’ll do everything possible right now to oppose this unconstitutional power grab by the Republicans. I’m incredibly proud of the decision the Texas House Democrats made to flee the state. They are using the power they have to stand up and fight, and I hope Democratic governors and other Democrats across the country do the same.”
Following that plan, New York Governor Kathy Hochul intends to study how electoral maps might be redrawn in her state.
“This will have implications not only for Texas but for our entire nation and its future,” Hochul explained. “In love and in war, everything is fair. That’s why I’m exploring with our leaders all options to redraw our state’s maps in Congress as soon as possible. We’re at war, so we’ve taken off the gloves, and I say: bring it on.”
In Illinois, Texas House Democrats, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, among others, gathered to discuss plans to “fight for democracy and against Donald Trump’s rigged maps and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.”
Much of the news conference was filled with war cries from the Democrats. Gene Wu, the chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, rejected questions about funding.
“I’m intrigued by the obsession over how this is being funded,” Wu said. “My phone and the phones of everyone here have not stopped ringing with calls from voters, from people I met about five years ago, from people across the country who somehow got my number and text me saying, ‘We support you. How can we help?’ I have to keep our donation link in a separate file so I can copy and paste it every time. Who supports us? The American people support us.”
In Texas, the House is scheduled to reconvene at 1:00 p.m. and has not reached quorum. Without two-thirds of the House present, no laws can be passed, and the bills related to Kerrville flood aid and the STAAR replacements will be paused until a quorum is reached.
