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OAN Staff Blake Wolf and Brooke Mallory
12:37 PM – Monday, August 11, 2025
Texas House Republicans once again fell short of achieving quorum on Monday, as Democrat lawmakers have fled the state in a move to thwart a Republican-led redistricting initiative ahead of the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, Governor Greg Abbott has reiterated stern warnings to the absentees, emphasizing that arrest upon their eventual return could endure “for literally years.”
The effort on Monday was four representatives short of reaching quorum, which did not allow for Texas GOP representatives to proceed with flood relief and redistricting efforts, marking the second week of the standoff.
Numerous U.S. states, including California, Illinois, Florida, and Maryland, among others, have joined in the redistricting battle in an attempt to acquire additional House seats as Republicans hold a thin majority in Congress.
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The nationwide battle over redistricting persists, with President Donald Trump endorsing Texas officials’ plan to redraw congressional boundaries in a bid to secure five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In response, Texas Democrats absented themselves from the state legislature to prevent quorum—resulting in the minimum threshold of representatives necessary to conduct official legislative business in the House not being met.
Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) has labeled the fleeing Democrats as “cowards,” while vowing that should they return, they will immediately be arrested. Speaking with host Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday,” Abbott asserted that he holds the authority to convene the Texas legislature in special session indefinitely, thereby prolonging the legal and procedural consequences for Democrats who left the state.
“This could literally last years because in Texas, I’m authorized to call a special session every 30 days, it lasts 30 days, and as soon as this one is over I’m gonna call another one, then another one, then another one,” Abbott stated.
“If they show back up in the state of Texas they will be arrested and taken to the capital. If they want to evade that arrest, they are going to have to stay outside of the state of Texas for literally years. They might as well just start voting in California, or voting in Illinois or wherever they may be,” he continued.
Abbott also spoke on a recent lawsuit he filed in the Texas Supreme Court, maintaining that the fleeing lawmakers have “abandoned their seat, because we are incapable of conducting business for the people of Texas.”
“This is the most un-Texan thing we’ve ever seen. In Texas, from the time of the Alamo until today, Texans stand and fight. What these cowards did – they didn’t stand and fight – they fled and went to leftist blue states that may be more in line with their personal philosophy, that is not welcome in the state of Texas,” he added.
Supporting Abbott’s push, House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Texas) said that he has now asked the Texas Department of Public Safety to set up a tip line for the public to help locate House Democrats who fled.
“We will keep following every credible lead until these members return,” Burrows stated. “To those absent members, you can go to another city, another state, even another time zone, but you cannot escape your responsibility to the people of Texas. Eventually, you will be here.”
One absentee, Texas House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu (D-Texas), who reportedly fled to Chicago with his colleagues, has notably ignored the GOP governor’s warnings while calling on Americans to “wake up.”
“We can’t fight this fight forever. What we need is Americans to stand up. We’re buying time for Texans to wake up, we’re buying time for Americans to gear up. To not only deal with Texas, but deal with this in every other state. Because if this is allowed to happen, if people who lie, cheat, and steal are allowed to win the day, that is the end of our country. That is the end of everything we believe in,” Wu stated.
“Do something! Get off your ass! This is our last shot in saving the American dream. I for one am not ready to let the American dream die without a real good fight,” Wu added.
Texas Democrats are also facing a $500 fine per day of absence, which cannot be paid for by campaign funds or official funds.
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