A political standoff in Texas has escalated to the federal level. On paper, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says the FBI has agreed to help locate more than 50 Texas Democrats who fled the state to block a GOP redistricting vote.
This comes after President Donald Trump called for a mid-decade redistricting — states typically redraw district boundaries only once every 10 years after the census — aimed at giving Republicans five more congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
But quorum breaking is legal in Texas and not a federal crime. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, says FBI agents might show up for show, but they cannot make arrests on civil warrants outside of Texas.
However, the optics could make it appear otherwise as they try to apply political pressure. This is not the first time a political minority has left the state to block a vote. But with Trump’s national push to lock in more GOP seats, the fight is now bigger than Texas.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
