Texas Democrat on threat of arrest, fines: 'I'll pay that price for America'
One of the Texas Democrats who fled the state with more than 50 others to deny Republicans their quorum this week said of the threat that he and others would have to pay fines and face possible arrest: “I’ll pay that price for America.”
“Right now, there's folks saying that we walked out. I think everyone behind me will say we're standing up, and as Texans would say, we're standing tall,” said Texas state Rep. Ramon Romero Jr. (D), chair of Texas’s Mexican American Legislative Caucus, during a press conference in Illinois on Tuesday.
“There's others that are saying and warning us that they're going to arrest us or make us pay fines. I'll pay that price for America,” he said, adding that he believed “everyone behind me would say they would do the same.”
Texas Democrats participated in a press conference with Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and others after Texas legislators left their state to block Republicans from passing a set of even friendlier GOP congressional lines.
The Texas lawmakers traveled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts — all blue states, some of which have been previously criticized for having gerrymandered maps — so Democrats could deny Texas Republicans the minimum number of lawmakers needed present in order to conduct business, otherwise known as a quorum.
President Trump is pushing Republicans to redraw their House map in the Lone Star State to net five pickup opportunities ahead of the 2026 midterms. The current Texas map is already very favorable for Republicans, but this map would extend the GOP’s advantage even further.
A Texas House panel advanced the new map last week, though lawmakers can’t bring it to the floor for a House vote since Democrats have left the state.
By breaking quorum, Democrats are incurring a daily $500 fine each and the threat of arrest. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) have called for Democrats to be arrested, while Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has asked the FBI to help assist Republicans in bringing back Democrats who fled to Texas.
Texas Democrats are likely to try to run out the clock on the first special session Abbott has called, though it remains unclear how long lawmakers will remain out of the state.
At the same time, Democrats have reasoned that if Republicans are willing to do unusual mid-decade redistricting to pick up seats next year, they need to follow suit to level the playing field.
“In Illinois, we don’t sit on the sidelines. In Illinois, we don’t take kindly to threats, and in Illinois, we fight back,” Stratton said. “If Trump and Texas Republicans won’t play by the rules, we will look at every option available to stop their extreme power grab, and nothing will be off the table.”