Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) threatens to remove House Democrats after they left the state in an effort to prevent Republicans from a redistricting initiative.
“These absences are not merely unintended and unavoidable interruptions in public service, like a sudden illness or a family emergency. Instead, these absences were premeditated for an illegitimate purpose—what one representative called ‘breaking quorum,'” he said in a statement, explaining that Democrats “hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber’s business.”
Abbott added that the “derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, 2025. For any member who fails to do so, I will invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House.” The governor further noted that under an abandonment policy, he may “swiftly fill vacancies under Article III, Section 13 of the Texas Constitution.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a similar statement, saying that those who “try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.”
“We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law,” he wrote on social media.
The Texas House Select Committee on Redistricting passed a sweeping new redistricting proposal along party lines over the weekend, with all 12 Republicans voting in favor and six Democrats opposing. Three Democrats were absent.
