Texas Republicans plan another special session to deliver President Donald Trump more GOP congressional seats

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republican leaders said Tuesday that they were prepared to end their stalemated special session and immediately begin another standoff with Democrats in the GOP's efforts to redraw congressional maps as directed by President Donald Trump.
It's the latest indication that Trump's push to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections will become an extended fight enveloping multiple statehouses controlled by both major parties, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic state executives pledging retaliatory answers to any GOP moves.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows confirmed state Republicans' plans during a brief session Tuesday morning that marked another failure to meet the required attendance standards to conduct official business because dozens of Democrats have left the state to stymie the GOP's gerrymandering attempts.
Burrows said from the House floor that lawmakers will not attempt to reconvene again until Friday. If Democrats are still absent — and they have given no indication that they plan to return — the speaker and Gov. Greg Abbott said Republicans will end the current session, with the governor immediately calling another.
'There will be no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state and abandoned their duty to the people who elected them,' Abbott said in a statement. 'I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.'
Democrats responded by declaring victory — even if temporarily.
'We said we would defeat Abbott's first corrupt special session, and that's exactly what we're doing,' Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu said in a statement.
Abbott called the current session with an extensive agenda that included disaster relief for floods that killed more than 130 people. Democrats balked when Abbott added Trump's redistricting idea to the agenda, urging the governor not to tie the intensely partisan fight over control of Congress to a nonpartisan matter.
Burrows on Tuesday did not mention redistricting but chided Democrats for not showing up for debate on the flood response package. Wu put the onus back on Abbott and his party.
'He can stop blocking flood relief immediately. Stop playing political games,' the Democratic leader wrote. 'Abbott can call a special session today that is dedicated to honoring the loss and memory of the July 4th flooding victims — or, he can once again put DC corruption ahead of Texas communities.'
Redistricting is usually done just once per decade, not long after the decennial federal census conducted under the Constitution.
The mid-decade scheme is part of Trump's push to shore up Republicans' narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of his first presidency, when the 2018 midterms restored Democrats to a House majority that blocked his agenda and twice impeached him. Nationally, current maps put Democrats within three seats of retaking the House — with only several dozen competitive districts across 435 total seats.
The Texas redistricting legislation would reshape the state's congressional districts in a design aimed at sending five more Republicans to Washington.
In California, Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has pledged to redraw his state's U.S. House districts to counter any Republican gains in Texas. That would require convincing voters in the Democratic-run state to bypass an independent redistricting, making California Democrats' path potentially more complicated than those where legislatures determine the boundaries.
Democratic Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois and Kathy Hochul of New York, where some Texas Democrats are temporarily staying, also have vowed to respond with redistricting attempts.
Newsom told Trump in a Monday letter that he would not pursue new maps if Texas and other GOP states stand down.
On Tuesday, minutes before the Texas House attempted to convene, Newsom's press office social media account posted an all-caps message mimicking the president's social media style.
'DONALD TRUMP, THE LOWEST POLLING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY, THIS IS YOUR SECOND-TO-LAST WARNING!!! (THE NEXT ONE IS THE LAST ONE!). STAND DOWN NOW OR CALIFORNIA WILL COUNTER-STRIKE (LEGALLY!) TO DESTROY YOUR ILLEGAL CROOKED MAPS IN RED STATES,' the message read.
The message also referred to Newsom as 'AMERICA'S FAVORITE GOVERNOR,' much like Trump often refers to himself on social media as 'your favorite president.'
The post concluded the same way that Trump ends policy pronouncements unveiled on his Truth Social platform: 'THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.'
In Texas, meanwhile, Republicans are pressuring their Democratic colleagues.
The GOP-run Legislature issued civil warrants for the absent Democrats under legislative rules. Because they are out of state, those lawmakers are beyond the reach of Texas authorities. Abbott has nonetheless tasked state police with attempting to corral absent representatives.
Abbott wants Texas courts to vacate some Democrats' offices. He has argued in court filings that the absent lawmakers have abandoned their posts, something the Democrats reject. The Texas Supreme Court in one case has set a schedule for written argument that extends beyond the current session.
At the least, Democratic lawmakers face $500 daily fines for each legislative day they miss in a deliberate move to prevent a quorum. Further, Burrows said Tuesday that he will stick Democrats with the bill for law enforcement efforts to bring them back to Austin. He said the tab for overtime alone already exceeds six figures.