AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republican leaders announced on Tuesday their readiness to conclude the ongoing stalemate in the current special session and initiate a new confrontation with Democrats regarding the redrawing of congressional maps, a move driven by directives from former President Donald Trump.
This announcement signals that Trump's agenda to reshape congressional districts in preparation for the 2026 midterm elections is likely to escalate into a prolonged confrontation, affecting multiple state legislatures controlled by both major parties.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows confirmed these plans during a brief session on Tuesday morning, noting yet another failure to meet the necessary attendance quorum due to the absence of numerous Democrats who left the state in protest against the GOP's partisan gerrymandering pursuits. He stated that lawmakers would not reconvene until Friday, and should Democrats remain absent—without any indication of their return—the session would be terminated, allowing Governor Greg Abbott to promptly call another special session.
Governor Abbott, a Trump ally, echoed these intentions in a statement, indicating that the agenda for the second special session would mirror the first, with the possibility of adding more critical items for Texans. Abbott expressed his resolve to continue calling special sessions until the “Texas first agenda” is passed, explicitly criticizing the absent Democrats for neglecting their responsibilities to the constituents who elected them.
The initial session included a wide-ranging agenda, encompassing disaster relief efforts following devastating floods that claimed more than 130 lives. However, the Democrats objected when Abbott added Trump's redistricting proposal to this agenda. On Tuesday, Burrows did not reference the redistricting issue but did scold the Democrats for their absence during discussions on flood response measures.
The proposed redistricting legislation would alter Texas's congressional districts to facilitate the election of five additional Republicans to Congress. This initiative is part of Trump's broader strategy to fortify Republicans' slim majority in the House of Representatives and to circumvent a repeat of the 2018 midterms, which saw Democrats regain control, subsequently obstructing Trump's agenda and leading to his impeachment on two occasions.
Currently, national congressional maps indicate that Democrats are a mere three seats away from reclaiming the House majority, with a limited number of competitive districts among the 435 total seats available. In an aggressive move, Texas Republicans have issued civil warrants for the absent Democrats; however, as these lawmakers have left the state, they remain outside the jurisdiction of Texas law enforcement. Burrows stated that absent Democrats might be responsible for covering the state’s costs related to law enforcement efforts aimed at pursuing them, with costs reportedly accumulating into six figures from overtime payments to state troopers and other officials tasked with tracking down Democratic legislators.
