The political standoff in Texas is escalating as GOP U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced that FBI Director Kash Patel has agreed to assist in locating House Democrats who left the state to block a quorum during a special session focused on congressional redistricting.
Governor Greg Abbott has condemned the walkout, claiming Democrats have neglected their responsibilities. Their absence has stalled the Texas House’s ability to advance legislation concerning election integrity and border security. Abbott has pledged to convene special sessions every 30 days until the work is completed and has initiated removal proceedings against at least one absent lawmaker, as reported by The Hill.
In response to the walkout, the Texas House has issued civil arrest warrants, suspended pay and per diems, and enacted budget cuts for the offices of participating lawmakers. Additionally, the state’s Attorney General is investigating a Democratic PAC that may have financially supported the effort, with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joining calls for their return.
“In a representative democracy, we resolve our differences by debating and voting, not by running away,” Cornyn stated in his letter to the FBI, as mentioned by The Hill.
He requested FBI assistance, asserting that federal resources were necessary to locate the out-of-state Texas legislators potentially acting unlawfully. He noted that the FBI has tools to assist state law enforcement when parties cross state lines to evade testimony or flee criminal scenes.
Legal experts caution that involving the FBI might be problematic since breaking a quorum is not a criminal act, and this dispute is a matter of state concern. Richard Painter, a former associate counsel to President George W. Bush, remarked, “I don’t see why the FBI would be involved in this at all. This is Texas politics, and the FBI has no business enforcing Texas state law.”
The ongoing stalemate has halted the legislative agenda, with neither side willing to back down.
In addition, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Texas, seeking judicial declarations that 13 Texas House seats have been vacated due to the ongoing unlawful absences of Democratic legislators who failed to meet the return deadline set by Speaker Dustin Burrows.
“The rogue Democrat legislators who fled the state have abandoned their duties, leaving their seats vacant,” Paxton stated in a press release. “These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold. Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must continue.”
House Democrats remain outside the state, with Paxton accusing them of engaging in politically motivated grandstanding. He described their actions as a “flagrant abandonment of office” and a “betrayal of the voters” who elected them.
The lawsuit targets 13 members who publicly declared their refusal to return, which Paxton argues strengthens the basis for legal action. Texas law grants the Attorney General the authority to represent the state in quo warranto actions and to appear before the Texas Supreme Court regarding matters of state interest.
The petition indicates: “The Texas Constitution, statutes, and rules provide a broad range of tools for members of a legislative minority to be heard. However, those tools do not include a concerted effort by minority members to disrupt the functioning of the Legislature by abandoning their duties and spurning the constitutional authority of remaining members to compel their attendance. When legislators ignore arrest warrants, refuse to execute their duties, and announce an intention to obstruct the Legislature from fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities, they have, through their words and actions, shown an intent to vacate and abandon their offices.”
