Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has issued a stern warning to Democratic lawmakers who fled to Illinois to prevent a vote on a GOP-backed redistricting plan, threatening their removal from office and suggesting their actions could carry felony consequences.
The walkout by Texas House Democrats was aimed at breaking quorum—a parliamentary maneuver to halt the Republican-led legislature from voting during a special session. The proposed redistricting map is expected to add five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This is not the first time Texas Democrats have used this tactic. In 2021, they left the state for Washington, D.C., in a similar attempt to block a Republican agenda.
Governor Abbott strongly condemned the move, accusing the absent lawmakers of deliberately neglecting their official duties.
“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. That amounts to an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office,” Abbott said in a public statement released Sunday.
It seems to me that the only way some of the fleeing Democrats can avoid bribery charges is to not break quorum.
It seems that would eliminate any potential quid pro quo connected to any payment they received to deny a quorum and skip a vote. https://t.co/eyTbgybLvW
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 4, 2025
He cited the Texas Constitution, which requires the legislature to meet when called into special session, saying, “It’s not optional. It’s a duty.”
Abbott added that unless the lawmakers return by 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, he will invoke legal opinions issued by the Texas Attorney General allowing for the removal of legislators who intentionally abandon their posts. According to a 2023 legal opinion, whether a legislator has forfeited office due to abandonment is a matter for the courts, but the governor has the authority to call for such vacancies to be filled.
The governor also warned that Democratic lawmakers may have violated state bribery laws by soliciting or accepting funds to support their absence. Under Texas Penal Code § 36.02, such conduct could be considered a felony. Abbott said he would use his full extradition powers to return any “potential out-of-state felons” to Texas.
“This truancy ends now,” Abbott stated. “The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance.”
As of now, it’s unclear whether the absent Democrats will comply or whether the governor’s threats will be tested in court.