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9h ago

Texas Republicans Clamp Down on Absent Democrats With Pay, Budget Cuts and Ouster Suits

Republicans are using financial penalties to pressure Democrats who fled Texas to deny quorum against a GOP congressional map

Texas House Speaker, Dustin Borrow, R - Lubbock, right, speaks with House Rep. Briscoe Cain, R - Deer Park, following a Republican Caucus meeting at the State Capitol, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)
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Former congressman Beto O’Rourke speaks during the Fight The Trump Takeover Rally at the Texas State Capitol, July 24, 2025.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump, first responders and local officials at Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, Texas, during a tour to observe flood damage, Friday, July 11, 2025.

Overview

  • Speaker Dustin Burrows halted direct deposits and froze 30 percent of office budgets for Democrats until they return to restore quorum.
  • Attorney General Ken Paxton filed quo warranto petitions with the Texas Supreme Court to vacate the seats of 13 absentee Democrats.
  • Paxton also sued Beto O’Rourke’s Powered by People group, alleging it bribed lawmakers by covering lodging and transportation costs.
  • Republican leaders have issued civil arrest warrants and enlisted DPS troopers and the FBI to locate lawmakers in Illinois, California and New York.
  • Democrats contend their walkout is a constitutionally protected tactic to block what they call a partisan map that would dilute minority voting power.