Texas standoff: Dems flee to stall GOP voter suppression efforts, Gov. Abbott threatens arrest

Texas Democratic Caucus: ‘We’re Buying Some Time’ On GOP Voting Restrictions

Dozens of Texas Democrats gathered Tuesday on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to pass voting rights protections a day after the caucus left its home state in a dramatic move to block Republican-led efforts that would make it harder for Texans to vote.

On Monday, more than 50 Texas lawmakers boarded two charter planes bound for Dulles International Airport just outside Washington, where they landed in the evening. Their absence effectively paralyzes the Texas state House of Representatives, which requires a majority of its members to be present in order to move legislation forward.

“We’re buying some time,” state Rep. Chris Turner, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said Tuesday.

While the U.S. House has passed the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act ― measures that would shore up voter protections amid former President Donald Trump and the GOP’s continued assault on the electoral system ― the bills remain stalled in the Senate, sparking intense debate over the chamber’s filibuster rule. The Texas Democrats view the federal legislation as a way to prevent Republicans from pushing voter restrictions through at the state level; 2021 is on pace to be the worst year for voter suppression laws in a decade.

This week’s dramatic escalation in Texas politics marks the second time this year that Democrats have left the state House in order to halt new Republican voting proposals. In late May, hours before a midnight deadline to pass the bill along to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), a large group of Democrats walked out of the state House en masse.

At the time, they secured a short-term victory against legislation that would place new restrictions on absentee voting, empower partisan poll watchers, ban 24-hour polling sites and make it easier to overturn the results of an election.

In response, however, Abbott called for a special legislative session, which convened late last week. He also vetoed a section of the state budget that funds the Texas Legislature and its staffers ― a decision currently being challenged in court.

This week, Abbott has threatened the Democratic lawmakers with arrest for their actions.

“As soon as they come back in the state of Texas, they will be arrested, they will be cabined inside the Texas Capitol until they get their job done,” the governor told Austin news station KVUE-TV.

The Democratic lawmakers are planning to remain out of Texas through the end of the current special legislative session, which ends Aug. 7. Yet Abbott vowed not to let the matter drop.

Gianforte's gambit

Montana’s Republican governor has made it clear his state won’t be bothered to help in the fight against climate change. But he still wants federal assistance to deal with the climate impacts at Montana’s door. Last week, Gov. Greg Gianforte withdrew Montana from a bipartisan coalition of more than two dozen states committed to upholding the goals of the Paris climate agreement, which include net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Brooke Stroyke, a spokesperson for Gianforte, told Montana Public Radio that the governor believes innovation, not government regulation, is the solution to climate change. Two days later, Gianforte called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare a drought emergency across his state, which would make emergency funds available to farmers who have suffered losses.

What's the hold up?

Six months into his presidency, President Joe Biden’s administration has not released a single person from Guantanamo Bay. The White House has issued only vague pledges, and the delayed releases have made advocates and lawyers for the men concerned that Biden will not prioritize closing the infamous military detention center. Eleven of the 40 men who remain imprisoned at Guantanamo have been cleared for release through an arduous government review process, meaning they are considered safe to send home or to another country, pending security assurances from the receiving country. Several have been cleared for years, with no explanation for their continued, indefinite imprisonment without charge.

ICYMI:

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