Democratic legislators in Texas have left the state in protest against a controversial congressional redistricting proposal supported by Donald Trump.
The lawmakers boarded chartered aircraft on Sunday evening, seeking to deprive the Texas House of Representatives of the necessary quorum to proceed with voting on the proposed boundary changes.
The redistricting plan could potentially establish five additional congressional districts favouring the Republican Party.
Texas Republicans currently control 25 of the state's 38 seats in the US House of Representatives.
The proposed changes would further strengthen their position in Washington.
The walkout strategy aims to prevent the Texas House from achieving its minimum attendance requirement of 100 members needed for official proceedings.
With Democrats holding 62 of the chamber's 150 seats, their absence ensures Republicans cannot proceed independently.
Gene Wu, who leads the House Democratic Caucus, declared that members were "walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent".
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Gene Wu leads the House Democratic Caucus
|REUTERS
He announced: "As of today, this corrupt special session is over."
Josh Rush Nisenson, representing the House Democratic Caucus, said that "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."
Trump explicitly called for "a simple redrawing" of Texas's congressional boundaries to establish additional Republican-friendly districts.
In July, he said: "There could be some other states we're going to get another three, or four or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one. Just a simple redrawing, we pick up five seats."
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker speaks in front of Democratic lawmakers from Texas during a press conference
|REUTERS
The proposed boundary changes would occur outside the standard decennial redistricting cycle, which normally follows census data updates.
Democratic Representative James Talarico, speaking from an airport, accused Republicans of orchestrating a "power grab" through electoral boundary manipulation.
In a video posted on X, he said: "They're turning our districts into crazy shapes to guarantee the outcome they want in the 2026 elections."
Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, issued threats of arrest against the departing legislators.
Trump explicitly called for 'a simple redrawing' of Texas's congressional boundaries to establish additional Republican-friendly districts
|REUTERS
He posted on X: "Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately."
The absent Democrats face financial penalties of $500 for each day they prevent a quorum, with new state regulations prohibiting the use of party funds for payment.
The legislators had anticipated this action and conducted fundraising efforts to cover the expected costs.
This marks the third instance of Texas Democrats employing such tactics, following similar actions in 2003 against Republican redistricting efforts and a 38-day absence in 2021 opposing voting restriction legislation.
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