Democratic lawmakers in Texas said on Sunday they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move Republicans are seeking to protect their narrow U.S. House majority in next year's midterm elections.
At least 50 Democratic lawmakers boarded chartered flights to Washington, D.C., aiming to halt a special legislative session called to approve new voting maps that critics say heavily favour Republicans.
By leaving the state, Democrats prevent the Texas House from reaching the two-thirds quorum required to hold a vote.
“We’re not going to sit back and watch our democracy be dismantled,” said Democratic Representative Ana-Maria Ramos.
President Donald Trump has championed the redistricting plan, telling reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths.
Republicans accused their rivals of abandoning their duties and vowed to press ahead with redistricting plans once the lawmakers return.
Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to arrest the lawmakers upon their re-entry to Texas.
"Democrats hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber’s business", the Governor said in his statement, adding that leaving amounted to an abandonment of the office.
The walkout is the latest in a series of clashes over voting rights and political control in Texas. Democrats argue the redistricting plan would dilute minority representation and entrench Republican power for the next decade.
Redistricting takes place every 10 years and has become a flashpoint in states where control of the legislature hangs in the balance. Similar standoffs have occurred in past years, but this marks one of the most dramatic walkouts in recent memory.
Under the current lines, Republicans control 25 seats, nearly two-thirds of the districts in a state that went for Trump last year by a 56% to 42% margin.
Redistricting experts have said the plan could backfire if Republicans try to squeeze too many seats out of what is already considered a significantly skewed map.
France and Canada will open new consulates in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, on Friday, stepping up their Arctic presence as geopolitical tensions grow ...
A senior Russian military intelligence officer is recovering in hospital after being shot several times in Moscow, as investigators prepare to interro...
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution f...
Türkiye’s national energy company, TPAO, has struck a new cooperation deal with U.S. energy giant Chevron, signing a memorandum of understanding to...
The Netherlands has returned a 3,500-year-old Egyptian sculpture to Egypt, after an investigation confirmed the artefact had been looted and unlawfull...
France and Canada will open new consulates in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, on Friday, stepping up their Arctic presence as geopolitical tensions grow following renewed U.S. interest in the strategically located island.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution facilities with more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles, Ukrainian officials have said.
The Netherlands has returned a 3,500-year-old Egyptian sculpture to Egypt, after an investigation confirmed the artefact had been looted and unlawfully removed from the country.
Storm Leonardo hit Spain and Portugal on Tuesday, forcing more than 11,000 people from their homes, as a man in Portugal died after his car was swept away by floodwaters and a second body was found in Malaga.
Winter weather has brought air travel in the German capital to a complete halt, stranding thousands of passengers as severe icing conditions make runways and aircraft unsafe for operation and force authorities to shut down one of Europe’s key transport hubs.
Storm Leonardo hit Spain and Portugal on Tuesday, forcing more than 11,000 people from their homes, as a man in Portugal died after his car was swept away by floodwaters and a second body was found in Malaga.
An attacker opened fire at the gates of a Shiite Muslim mosque in Islamabad on Friday before detonating a suicide bomb that killed at least 31 people in the deadliest assault of its kind in the capital in more than a decade.
Alphabet is emerging as a frontrunner in the global artificial intelligence race, as analysts and executives say Google has overtaken OpenAI, marking a sharp reversal from a year ago when the company was widely seen as lagging.
Using art as a quiet alarm, a new exhibition in Baku is drawing attention to endangered wildlife and the need for environmental responsibility.
France and Canada will open new consulates in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, on Friday, stepping up their Arctic presence as geopolitical tensions grow following renewed U.S. interest in the strategically located island.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution facilities with more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles, Ukrainian officials have said.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious goal of reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by March, though the timeline is widely viewed as unrealistic due to deep disagreements over territory, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.
At least 31 people have been killed and scores wounded in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, during Friday prayers, prompting widespread international condemnation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment