More than 51 Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives quietly flew to Chicago on Sunday afternoon, denying quorum in the chamber and temporarily delaying Republican efforts to approve new congressional maps.
"We're leaving Texas to fight for Texans. We will not allow disaster relief to be held hostage to a Trump gerrymander. We're not walking out on our responsibilities; we're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent. As of today, this corrupt special session is over," said state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, in a statement on Sunday.
Texas Democrats plan a news conference in Chicago on Sunday at 7:15 p.m.
Caucus Chairman Wu will be joined by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and members of the Texas House Democratic delegation at the event.
Texas House Democrats had the plan in the works for more than a week, as the legislature is in the middle of a special 30-day legislative session to address deadly flash floods in Central Texas, a ban on products with THC in them, and redrawing congressional districts at the request of President Trump.
"Governor Abbott has turned the victims of a historic tragedy into political hostages in his submission to Donald Trump," Wu's statement continued. "He is using an intentionally racist map to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal. Apathy is complicity, and we will not be complicit in the silencing of hard-working communities who have spent decades fighting for the power that Trump wants to steal."
The Texas House of Representatives planned to reconvene on Monday at 3:00 p.m. to vote on the maps a House committee approved over the weekend.
There are 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives. Two-thirds, or 100, must be present for the chamber to meet and conduct business. With more than 51 Democrats out of state now, the House cannot reconvene and approve the new maps for President Trump.
Denying Republicans a quorum for the state House of Representatives to meet is the only option Democrats had.
"This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity," Wu's statement continued.
Breaking quorum gives Democrats an opportunity to seize the news cycle and put attention on the issue. But this political move will only temporarily delay the Republicans' plan to redraw lines.
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/local/local-democrats-chicago-vote-congressional-redistricting/287-e5e75b68-e9d7-46c5-a2f8-ff6969f5abcb