TX Democrats Run and Hide from the Tough Issues

By Max Roemer

 Texas House Democrats have fled the state to block Republicans from redrawing congressional districts in an apparent bid to flip five United States House seats currently held by Democrats.

They are in Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and other locations to discuss their options with empathetic local lawmakers and legislators. In Austin, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, Republican-Lubbock, has been clear that, “All options are on the table,” to compel the return of the rogue, lawbreaking legislators or to punish them for their absence.

  By a standing order issued by Abbot in 2021, fleeing the state house is a $500 fine per day per legislator. Meanwhile, Abbott, has threatened to remove fleeing Democrats from office and suggested that fundraising to pay for the daily fines they are incurring for their absence is a criminal offense. This is a warning from Abbott to the political action committees, companies, and to the private individuals who have vowed to pay for the daily $500 fine for each illegally fleeing House member. Others have paid for these Democrats’ transportation, hotel accommodations, private jets, and plenty of fancy dinners costing often thousands of dollars.

  President Donald Trump said on this matter that Republicans are “entitled” to more congressional seats in Texas. “I won Texas,” Trump declared. “I got the highest vote in the history of Texas. And we are entitled to five more seats.” Trump did win the highest number of votes last year in Texas in a presidential election, whose number of voters have grown along with its overall population; but Democrats argue that Trump didn’t set a record for his margin of victory in Texas.

  Trump has personally been lobbying Texas Governor Greg Abbott about mid-decade congressional redistricting. And this pursuit of more GOP friendly seats instigated state House Democrats to flee the state to block the Legislature from drawing new maps of congressional district lines and gerrymandering. The fleeing of representatives from blocking a quorum is gaining ground and state legislatures across the country are being inspired to commit the same illegal acts as the Texas legislature. Trump pointed out the hypocrisy of Illinois state representatives and their governor J.B. Pritzker as state Democrats there redrew Illinois state congressional districts that unabashedly heavily favor the Democratic party. Pointing out that they have no room whatsoever to speak on the matter based on their actions.

  Trump won 56% of the 2024 presidential vote in Texas. Under the current map, Republicans hold two-thirds of Texas’ congressional seats. The new map aims to raise that to 79%. To accomplish this, the legislature must have a quorum call. Speaker Pro Tempore Democrat Joe Moody and about 5 other Democrats checked in as present at the quorum call. Three Democrats met with Speaker Burrows, “to talk about what sort of changes we could institute to the maps.”

  The House Democrats’ and their grandstanding has left Texans of flood victims in the dust. House Democrats have left the state for a redistricting effort and, in turn, stalled a special session aimed at preventing flood deaths. Democrats have not considered legislation related to the flooding that killed at least 138 people, 27 of whom were young children from Camp Mystic. The redistricting fight left residents who survived the flooding more than frustrated. “That’s insulting,” stated a lady from Ingram, Texas.

  As the child play continues in the Texas House, other states nationwide are following their bold and illegal moves. As the New York attorney general is so famous for saying, “No one is above the law.” She has refused to use that metric on herself or her Democratic party thus far. The Texas House voted last Monday afternoon to track down and arrest more than 50 Texas Democratic lawmakers who were not present when the chamber convened. After the 85-6 vote, House Speaker Burrows said he would immediately sign civil warrants for each of the legislators empowering the chamber’s sergeant-at-arms and Texas State Troopers to arrest rogue members and bring them to the Capitol. The warrants are mainly symbolic as they are only valid within Texas and the Democrats purposefully fled out of state for this reason.

  The Texas State Constitution as challenged by Abbott in court in 2021, and the court ruled that the Constitution, “enables ‘quorum-breaking’ by a minority faction of the legislature, it likewise authorizes ‘quorum-forcing’ by the remaining members.” The Democratic runaways will eventually have to come back to Texas to their homes. They will have to face their chamber again. Until then they are not only hindering congressional redistricting but also matters regarding our flooding and how to mitigate that situation. Each day gone is another day of acting illegally and with a warrant to your name. The Democrats are acting against the will of the majority of Texans and what Governor Abbott does proceeding onward is to be seen.