After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the Texas Supreme Court to remove 13 Democrats, Governor Greg Abbott warned Sunday that the threat to arrest the dozens of Democratic legislators who left the state a week ago to prevent voting on the new electoral map being pushed by US President Donald Trump will last "literally for years." Abbott stated that every time the absent Democrats return to Texas, they will be arrested for violating their oath of office. "If they want to evade that arrest, they will be out of Texas for literally years," he commented. "And they better start voting in California or Illinois, or wherever they are." Abbott accused a group of nearly 50 Democratic lawmakers of violating the Texas Constitution by leaving the state a week ago to avoid a quorum for a vote that would have created a new electoral map with five new seats for Republicans in the House of Representatives. The Democratic legislature is so far remaining in states governed by Democrats, such as Illinois and New York, which have promised to protect them, but the Texas president warned that he will not give up on his intention to call a vote on the electoral map that Trump requested.

"I'm authorized to call a special session every 30 days. It lasts 30 days (the order), and as soon as that one is over, I'm going to call another one, then another one, then another one, and then another one," Abbott said.

The move reflects an escalation in Republicans' battle to redraw electoral maps ahead of Trump's 2026 midterm elections as he seeks to preserve his House majority.

The decision to give up five House seats to Republicans comes as polls indicate the president's party will struggle to maintain its razor-thin majority in the chamber in next year's midterm elections. Republicans currently hold a margin of just three seats.

That's why Texas is looking to be the ally that allows Trump to maintain his tight control of Congress.