Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a sharp warning to Texas House Democrats after they fled the state to block Republican-led legislation, calling their actions a deliberate abandonment of office.
On Sunday, Texas House Democrats broke quorum by leaving the state and traveling to Illinois, where they appeared alongside Gov. J.B. Pritzker for a press conference, reported The Texas Tribune.
“My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump’s redistricting power grab. Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us,” Rep. James Talarico wrote on X.
In a formal statement, Abbott criticized the Democrats’ move as a premeditated effort to block the legislative process.
“These absences are not merely unintended and unavoidable interruptions in public service, like a sudden illness or a family emergency,” Abbott said. “Instead, these absences were premeditated for an illegitimate purpose—what one representative called ‘breaking quorum.’”
“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.”
Abbott warned that Democrats could face removal from the Texas House under Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382, which allows for a determination that a legislator has vacated office if they intentionally break quorum.
“For any member who fails to return, I will invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House,” Abbott said.
The governor also suggested that some Democrats may have committed felonies, alleging they are “soliciting funds to evade fines they will incur under House rules.” Abbott vowed to use his full extradition authority to bring any “potential out-of-state felons” back to Texas.
“This truancy ends now. The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, 2025,” Abbott stated in an August 3 press release.
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