Austin, Texas: On the third day of Texas Democrats blocking tighter voting laws in Washington, Republicans back home settled into a new routine that boils down to turning the Democrats’ gamble into another advantage for the GOP in 2022.
In time and with a commanding majority in his favor, Texas Republicans who started the summer with a long to-do list aimed at pushing the state to the right, on Wednesday slammed Democrats as the impediment. Suddenly the free time was filling up.
Despite being unable to pass any bills, GOP lawmakers promised to get to work at the Texas Capitol. They say Democrats are blocking widely popular measures to lower the property tax and give more money to teachers. And they are finally showing their resolve to pass a new voting bill that includes a raft of changes that will make it harder to vote in Texas overall.
While these Texas Democrats collect taxpayer money while riding on private jets to meet with the Washington elite, those who live in the Chamber are committed to providing 13th checks to our retired teachers, protecting our foster children, and taxing taxpayers. Let’s wait for your return to start work to provide relief. Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said.
In Washington, Texas Democrats were also settling into a new routine: meeting with members of Congress to call for action on voting rights at the federal level, but with little signs of agitation. President Joe Biden appeared to be acknowledging fading hopes for the voting law on Tuesday, saying he would launch a nationwide campaign to inform voters about changes to rules and restrictions ahead of the midterm election.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blew Texas Democrats off the Senate floor on Wednesday, marking his flight to Washington DC as an effort to capture selfies, grab headlines and ask Senate Democrats to handle the Texas election.
The Kentucky Republican said, Texas state legislators decide to grab some beer, hop on a private jet, and flee the state, which they’re pretending is some great moral crusade, later, the outrage is completely fake. .
About a dozen protesters outside the hotel where the crew is staying and working after chartered flights to Washington on Monday held up signs with messages saying ‘Do your job! And who paid for the private jet?
The legislators insisted several times that taxpayers’ money was not being used. He said the entire journey was paid for by donations and from his own pocket.
Delegates defended their decision to leave Texas, saying the move has already been partly successful by shining a national spotlight on voting rights. This year more than a dozen states have already passed tough election laws in response to former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
We are not here on vacation, Democratic State Representative Jose Menendez Id rather stay at home with my family. We have come here to do something.
Republicans say voting needs to be changed to fight fraud. However, fraud is very rare, and Democrats say the measures target their supporters.
Republican State Sen. Brian Hughes, one of the leading GOP writers on the voting bill, said we’ll take as long to provide these protections to every Texas voter, and come back as often as we want.
For his part, state Representative Chris Turner, the Texas House Democratic chairman, said his caucus was actively raising money to maintain a long-term stay in Washington. He said Democrats intend to stay out of Texas entirely until the current session ends on Aug. 7 to scrap the bill.
And in the meantime,” he said, “we are going to shine a harsh national spotlight on Republican voter-suppression efforts.
Asked how long they might last, Turner replied, not worried about it.
The agenda Republican Governor Greg Abbott ordered at the start of the 30-day session included hot-button conservative priorities such as border security measures and rules on how race could be taught in public schools. Republicans haven’t abandoned those efforts, but since Democrats left, they’ve instead highlighted more middle-of-the-road issues.
Although Texas Republicans authorized state troops to find and corral the missing legislators, there was no indication Wednesday that any action was being taken. Abbott has threatened arrest if Democrats return, as state troops have no jurisdiction beyond Texas.
The departure for Washington is the second time Democratic lawmakers have walked out over a voting overhaul that they say will make it harder for young people, people of color and people with disabilities to vote. The law would outlaw 24-hour polling places, ban drop boxes for postal ballots and empower partisan polling watchers.
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Khalil reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Brian Slodisko in Washington contributed to this report.
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
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