After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott referred to as for the arrests of greater than 50 Democrats who fled the state to forestall the passing of a controversial voting map, Congress’s prime Democrat, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, referred to as Abbott’s actions “cowardly” and praised Texas Democrats for his or her “braveness,” “character,” and “conviction.”
“The Texas governor is a cowardly, faux bully,” mentioned Jeffries, the Democratic chief within the U.S. Home of Representatives. The New York congressman slammed Abbott and Texas Republicans for, on the path of President Donald Trump, redrawing the state’s congressional map to provide nationwide Republicans a bonus in sustaining their majority energy in Congress.
“He was ordered by Donald Trump to convene a particular session of the legislature as a way to gerrymander the Texas congressional map and attempt to rig the midterm elections,” Jeffries informed MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera on Monday.
The coordinated redistricting plan targets 5 congressional seats in Texas, all of that are predominantly Black and Latino. Voters of colour in these districts are packed into new districts containing a majority of white and Republican-leaning voters. The map significantly dismantles Texas’s ninth Congressional District, represented by longtime Black Congressman Al Inexperienced, retaining solely 2% of his present district.
In an try to forestall, or a minimum of delay, Republicans’ map approval, Texas Democrats within the Home fled the state, leading to Gov. Abbott and Republicans calling for his or her arrests.
“Texas Home Democrats deserted their responsibility to Texans,” Abbott mentioned in an announcement. “By fleeing the state, Texas Home Democrats are holding hostage vital laws…There are penalties for dereliction of responsibility.”
In protection of the Democrats’ protest, Jeffries mentioned the Texas map violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting and undergirds Black voters’ proper to elect candidates of their selection. The Democratic chief vowed that Democrats would struggle again by difficult maps in court docket and, as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made clear, redrawing maps of their very own.
When Cabrera requested whether or not Democrats risked committing the identical offense as Republicans in the event that they adopted by means of on redistricting maps to profit the occasion’s probabilities in subsequent 12 months’s midterm elections, Jeffries vowed that Democrats would “function inside the constraints” of the Voting Rights Act.
The Democratic chief, who would turn into the primary Black speaker of the U.S. Home if Democrats take again the bulk subsequent 12 months, mentioned that, in the end, the political struggle in Texas is a component of a bigger battle in opposition to Trump and his agenda.
“We’re in the course of an all-out assault by Donald Trump and Republican sycophants on the economic system, on well being care, on our lifestyle, on law-abiding immigrant communities, on democracy itself,” Jeffries defined.
The Home chief mentioned Trump urged Texas Republicans so as to add 5 extra seats to his occasion’s benefit as a result of he’s “afraid” that voters will “reject” his agenda on the poll field.
“This impotent Home Republican majority that has executed nothing to enhance the standard of life for on a regular basis Individuals, executed nothing to decrease the excessive cost-of-living, nothing to provide these hard-working American taxpayers throughout the nation the flexibility to thrive,” Jeffries defined. He continued, “Folks can barely survive, and Donald Trump and Home Republicans are crashing the economic system in actual time.”
Jeffries mentioned Democrats’ present three-seat minority is a “traditionally shut quantity”—one thing he believes has Trump and Republicans “scared to loss of life.”
The Home Democratic chief urged voters to not be “disheartened” or “dismayed” amid deep dissatisfaction with the path of the nation, as polls present.
“[Democrats] are going to proceed to indicate up and rise up and communicate up. We’re going to finish this nationwide nightmare in America, and we’re going to proceed our nation’s march towards a extra excellent union,” mentioned Jeffries.
