The Texas House of Representatives faced another setback on Tuesday as Democratic members continued to protest against the proposed congressional maps by leaving the state, resulting in a failure to reach quorum.
In response to the ongoing standoff, Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued an order on Monday directing the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate and arrest the absent Democrats, stating the order will persist until they are ‘accounted for and brought back’ to Austin.
Upon reconvening at 1 p.m. CT, the Texas House still fell short of the necessary numbers to conduct business. House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows indicated that he had met with leadership at the Texas DPS for an update on efforts to locate the party members who left in protest.
‘It is evident to the chair that DPS will need some time to work, and we will try again to make quorum on Friday,’ Burrows remarked.
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation, expressing his support for Texas Republicans in their endeavor to redraw congressional districts.
‘We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats,’ Trump claimed during an interview with CNBC on Tuesday morning.
The proposed redistricting map could potentially create up to five new Republican seats, a move aimed at maintaining GOP control of the U.S. House in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
Democratic lawmakers fled the state on Sunday, rallying support from governors in more liberal states, including New York’s Kathy Hochul and California’s Gavin Newsom. Both governors pledged to undertake partisan redistricting efforts in their own states in response to Texas’s actions.
Governor Abbott’s directive for the arrest of Democrats followed a Texas House vote to issue civil arrest warrants, although these mandates hold no authority outside state lines. It remains uncertain how effectively Texas law enforcement can collaborate with their counterparts in other states.
Texas Senator John Cornyn, a Republican, sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday, requesting federal assistance in aiding state law enforcement to investigate any potential legal violations by the out-of-state Democrats.
‘I request the FBI’s assistance, as federal resources are necessary to locate the out-of-state Texas legislators who are potentially acting in violation of the law. The FBI has tools to aid state law enforcement when parties cross state lines, including to avoid testifying or fleeing a scene of a crime,’ Cornyn stated.
He expressed concern that the actions of legislators who solicited or accepted funds to evade their legislative responsibilities may amount to bribery or other public corruption offenses.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin aligned himself with Texas House Democrats and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, pushing back against Trump’s narrative.
‘Just this morning, he said that the Republicans are entitled to these five seats, right? Let me just be really, really clear about this. No party is entitled to any district. We have to go out and earn the votes, and that’s what a democracy is about,’ Martin asserted.
He accused Texas Republicans and Abbott of executing Trump’s agenda, highlighting a sense of urgency among Republicans fearing losses in the upcoming 2026 elections.
Governor Pritzker further criticized Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for undermining the will of the American people, indicating that Illinois would consider all options, including redrawing their own maps, which has initiated scrutiny on their own partisan practices.
Trump criticized Democratic governors for their intentions to reshape congressional maps favorably and argued that such actions further justified the Texas Republicans’ efforts.
‘That’s all gerrymandered. California is gerrymandered. We should have many more seats in Congress. In California, it’s all gerrymandered,’ Trump concluded during his CNBC interview.
ABC News’ Isabella Murray contributed to this report.
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