Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Monday directed the arrests of state House Democrats who fled the Lone Star State for blue states in an effort to stop the GOP’s redistricting legislation.
“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans,” Abbott said in a statement. “By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty.
Earlier, he had threatened to remove them from office if they don’t show up to work. That prompted a strong reaction from Democrats, who left Texas to keep the chamber from reaching a quorum to allow a vote.
“We, the Democratic contingent, we are paying attention to what our constituents are demanding of us,” Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones (D) said at a press conference with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in Albany on Monday.
Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a radio interview on Monday that he’s confident the Republicans will accomplish their redistricting goal. “Eventually they are going to have to come back. They have jobs and families,” he said.
The Texas Democrats had fanned out across blue states, including Illinois and New York, where those states’ governors have vowed to stand with them in their effort to prevent new congressional maps from being approved.
Meanwhile, President Trump said Sunday he would appoint a “new statistician” this week after firing the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Friday following dramatic revisions in recent jobs reports.
And he weighed in on the culture war swirling around a controversial Sydney Sweeney ad for jeans. “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Catch up here:
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Schumer, Jeffries demand GOP leaders meet on government shutdown deadline
5 things to know on Texas’s political showdown
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