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22h ago

Texas Republicans Tighten Crackdown as Democratic Walkout Paralyzes Legislature

Republican leaders have frozen pay, issued arrest warrants and petitioned courts to unseat absent Democrats, with California unveiling its own redistricting counterplan

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)
Ken Paxton and John Cornyn.
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Overview

  • The Texas House remains paralyzed after Democrats fled to blue states and continue to deny the chamber its two-thirds quorum.
  • Republican leadership has escalated punitive measures targeting absent lawmakers, freezing pay, suspending per diems and withholding operating funds.
  • Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to vacate the seats of 13 absentee Democrats and sued Beto O’Rourke’s PAC for allegedly funding their exodus.
  • Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Department of Public Safety to enforce civil arrest warrants against missing legislators and filed suit seeking Rep. Gene Wu’s removal.
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an emergency special election to redraw the state’s congressional map in reaction to Texas’s redistricting move.