Texas Governor Greg Abbott has launched a full-on attack against more than 50 House Democrats who left the state to block a vote on a controversial new congressional map. In a sharp letter sent late Sunday, Abbott warned them: return to Austin or face removal from office — and possibly criminal charges.
“This truancy ends now,” Abbott wrote. “The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, 2025.”
The Democrats left the state Sunday afternoon to break quorum — the minimum number of lawmakers needed to pass legislation. Without them, the House can’t move forward with the Republican-led redistricting plan that could hand the GOP five more seats in the 2026 elections. The proposed map cuts into minority-heavy districts in cities like Houston, Dallas, and Austin.
Abbott’s threats didn’t stop there. He said if lawmakers don’t show up, he’ll try to have them removed from office and replaced. He cited a 2021 legal opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying courts could rule that skipping out on quorum means a lawmaker has given up their seat. If that happens, Abbott could appoint their replacements.
He also accused the Democrats of possibly breaking the law by raising money to pay the $500 daily fines they face for being absent. Abbott warned that “soliciting funds to evade the fines” could be considered bribery — and donors might be criminally liable too. He even said he would push for extradition of “any potential out-of-state felons.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, where some of the Texas Democrats have taken refuge, fired back: “We’re going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them.”
The Texas House Democratic Caucus responded with a message as bold as Abbott’s threats: “Come and take it.”
Rep. Gene Wu (D), chair of the caucus, joined CNN from Chicago and didn’t hold back.
“Today is a great day to end the corruption of Greg Abbott,” Wu said. “This has gone on far too long… This is Gov. Abbott being upset because he’s been caught… and frankly, Democrats say come and take it. Come and take it.”
When CNN’s John Berman asked about the $500 fines, Wu dismissed the threat.
“Frankly, I don’t care and our members don’t care, because what we’re fighting for is not about us,” Wu said. “We are elected officials. We have committed to sacrificing our lives to protect the people of the state of Texas… The $500 — whatever they’re going to fine us — that is nothing compared to the pain that the American people have felt and the people of Texas have felt.”
Berman pressed him about whether federal authorities could be used to drag them back.
“We know that the governor has no power to reach into other states,” Wu replied. “By law, the president has no ability, no authority to legally come get us.”
The Democrats’ walkout is meant to block a redistricting plan they call racist and blatantly partisan. They argue it’s a power grab — pushed by Republicans and linked to former President Donald Trump — that ignores recent disasters like the Hill Country floods that killed over 130 people.
Republicans insist the redrawing is legal, even mid-decade. But Democrats say they’re done playing along.
Watch the clip below from CNN.
