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Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to oust Democrats who fled Texas and stop Republicans from moving forward with efforts to redraw the state Capitol district.
Most Democrats in the Texas House, who accused Abbott of potential felony, left the state on Sunday to prevent the House from casting sufficient votes for the quorum. Without a quorum, legislative procedures cannot advance. Lawmakers fled as Republicans are about to pass laws establishing new legislative districts in the state. Republicans argue that they are unfairly gerrymanders in their favour of Democrats and need to be adjusted.
In a letter sent to lawmakers Sunday, Abbott said if he does not return by the time the House is reconvened at 4pm, he will “call Texas Attorney General’s Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove missing Democrats from members of the Texas home.”
government. Abbott calls Democrats for “outrageous” protests over GOP-led constituency
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suggested that those who fled the state to stop the Republican agenda could potentially face felony charges. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“In addition to abandoning their offices, these lawmakers may have committed felony,” Abbott added in his letter. “Many absentee Democrats are seeking funds to avoid fines they incur under House rules.”
Earlier on Monday, Abbott said it would be considered bribery “if a lawmaker takes away money to either do or refuse to act in Congress.”
In response to Abbott’s threat, Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.), a leader in the US minority, described the governor’s actions as “all hats, no cows,” and said there was “no basis to claim” lawmakers.
“Governor Abbott is poses a threat to neglect,” Jeffries argued in an interview with CNN on Monday.
Texas Mapfight escalates as Jeffries swears “all options” to stop the GOP plan
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries will speak at a press conference at the US Capitol on February 6, 2025 (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats across the country are responding to GOP rezoning efforts in Texas with the threat of doing the same in Democrat-controlled states like New York and California.
Last week, Jeffries said at a press conference that “all options should be on the table” during the battle for the Texas constituency.
Meanwhile, Democrat Gavin Newsom said California should “fight fire with fire” when it comes to efforts to rezone Decard in the mid-term GOP.
Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared “gloves off” on Monday, adding that he intends to explore “all options” to redraw the state’s Capitol map “as soon as possible.”
A democratic government. Kathy Hotchul of New York and Gavin Newsom of California have vowed to fight back against the GOP’s rezoning efforts. (Getty Images)
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Congressional maps are usually redrawn once every ten years after the completion of the US census, but now Texas is about to redraw the 12th grade map without new census data or even a court order. Still, Abbott argues that “nothing is illegal” about what Republicans are trying to do in Texas.
The new map of Texas, supported by President Donald Trump, could help Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives pick up five seats, the president said last month. Trump’s Justice Department previously wrote Abort in early July, claiming that some of the Congressional districts in Texas were racially considered gerrymanders and violated the 14th amendment to the Constitution.
Paul Steinhauser of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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