Democratic lawmakers at the state capital on Monday said they are keeping all options on the table to stop Republican leaders from advancing their special session redistricting agenda, along with other legislative bills they say are harmful to the average Texan.
With signs in hand that read “Stop the Takeover, Put Texans First” and “Abbott’s Letting Trump Take Over Texas,” Democrats held a press conference in Austin Monday morning in opposition to some of the items in Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session, which began later that same day.
Abbott officially called for the special session earlier this month. Mid-decade congressional redistricting, THC regulations and flood relief for the Texas Hill Country are among the special session agenda items.
Houston-area state Rep. Gene Wu, who also chairs the state’s House Democratic Caucus, said he wants to hold Abbott and other Republicans accountable for the promises they made to Texans.
“Democrats are saying that this is just a ruse … That Gov. Abbott is using this tragedy and using the death of hundreds of Texans as the doorway to get what he wants politically,” Wu said.
Texas Democratic lawmakers are not ruling out the possibility of breaking quorum, he said, a strategy they used in 2021 in an attempt to block Republican-backed voting restrictions. Since then, Republicans have introduced new parliamentary rules to increase the punishment for breaking quorum, such as daily fees.
For now, they are participating in the special legislative session to see whether Republican leaders will prioritize promised flood response and disaster management efforts, following the catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country earlier this month that killed more than 130 people.
“We will see if they hold hearings on flooding first,” Wu said. “We will see if they bring that legislation to us first. We will see if they prioritize what Texans actually demanded first or will they prioritize their politics, and shenanigans, and their games.”
Wu said that time will tell whether Republicans listen and fulfill the demands of Texans or prioritize other agendas — in which case, Democrats say they will galvanize a plan.
“Democrats are going to keep all options open,” said Wu. “We will take whatever measures are necessary to protect our communities and to protect the state.”
State Rep. Ron Reynolds, whose district includes a part of Fort Bend County, said this is a call to action for everyone of all backgrounds and faiths to join in on fighting for the rights of Texans.
“Tell Gov. Abbott that we will not bow down to the MAGA extremist, President Trump, who is doing everything he can to take our communities back,” said Reynolds. “We’re going to fight. We’re going to do everything we can to stand up against these radical extremist authoritarians that are doing nothing but trying to roll back the clock.”
Wu didn’t offer details on the tactics Democrats plan to implement, but said Democrats will remain in communication.
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