The World Today
MADRID, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)
Democratic lawmakers from the state of Texas who fled the state in early August to block the vote on Republicans seeking to redraw the electoral map returned to Austin, the Texas capital, on Monday. This allowed the Texas House of Representatives to approve a measure backed by US President Donald Trump that could give the conservative party up to five additional seats in the 2026 elections.
"We're returning to Texas with a greater threat to Republican agendas than when we left," said Gene Wu, the Democratic leader in the Texas Congress, in statements reported by CNN.
Wu has defended this decision by announcing his intention to "defeat this racist map in the courts," as well as "take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire lawmakers across the country to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own state legislatures."
"We ended the corrupt special session, stood up to unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and mobilized Democrats across the country to join this existential fight for fair representation, transforming the entire landscape of 2026," he stressed.
The presence of Democrats has thus allowed the Redistricting Committee to approve the new map, which benefits Texas Republicans, although it must be reviewed by the full House soon.
House Speaker Dustin Burrows declared after opening the session that "we will act swiftly, and the timeline will be demanding until we complete our work." "We no longer have to wait. We have a quorum. It's time to act," the Republican celebrated, although he asserted that "it will continue to be a chamber where the majority has the right to prevail and the minority has the right to be heard."
Meanwhile, Democratic Congresswoman Nicole Collier, who returned to Austin on Monday, remains locked inside the agency's headquarters because she has not signed a permit to be escorted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which is in place to ensure that all those who left Texas return to the House for a special session scheduled for Wednesday, in a move the state Democratic Party has described as "the latest Republican tactic to monitor and control Democratic lawmakers after their successful breach of quorum."
The White House resident celebrated on his Truth Social account that Texas Republicans "just introduced a new bill for a big, beautiful congressional map" and thanked Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Burrows himself for "their excellent work."
"It's wonderful to see Republicans everywhere rising up to save our country. It's one of the most popular initiatives I've ever supported. Republicans love to see us fighting for a great cause. Please pass this map as soon as possible," he said.
