Democrats slam rush to redraw US House maps at first hearing in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats on Thursday laid into Republicans for racing to create more winnable U.S. House seats before the 2026 elections in the first public hearing by lawmakers as they undertake a rare summer redrawing of the congressional maps at the urging of President Donald Trump.

No proposals of what Texas' new congressional districts might look like were unveiled at the state Capitol, where three Democratic members of Congress joined more than 100 members of the public in rallying outside the building before waiting hours to testify before a special legislative committee.

“You all are being used,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro told the panel, saying it would confuse voters and motivate other states to rush to redraw their own maps.

He and other Democrats blasted the justification for the unusually timed redrawing, which typically happens only once every 10 years to coincide with demographic shifts from the U.S. census. No Republicans on the 21-member panel made remarks before testimony began other than the committee chairman, Rep. Cody Vasut, who said he had not been in talks with the White House about the redrawing.

“Whether or not I think there needs to be mid-cycle redistricting is a matter of opinion,” said Vasut, when asked whether he believed it was appropriate to redraw maps in the middle of the decade.

Other public hearings are planned around Texas in the coming days as the GOP has only a few weeks to vote through new maps in the 30-day special legislative session. At the same time, legislators are also balancing addressing the deadly floods in Texas Hill Country earlier this month that killed at least 136 people.

Several Democratic lawmakers and residents expressed concerns that there are not enough scheduled public hearings and emphasized the need for some to take place after the legislature reveals the new congressional maps.

Democrats have characterized the move as a power grab and vowed to block it by any means, including staging a walkout or filibustering, although their options are limited as the minority party in both chambers. Members walked out four years ago to protest voting restrictions, but the House had since adopted rules to fine lawmakers $500 each day they break a quorum.

Democrats have tried to gain leverage by focusing on flood relief, stating that they won't engage in any other bills until then.

Texas has 38 seats in the House. Republicans hold 25 and Democrats have 12, not including a vacant seat that was held by late Rep. Sylvester Turner. The GOP currently has a slim majority in the U.S. House, and Trump has said that he wants Republicans to create five more winnable seats, which could improve his party's chances of keeping in that way.

There is some concern that redistricting could backfire in what's sometimes called a “dummymander,” where rigging a map too much goes awry and gives the opposite party an advantage.

The Justice Department sent a letter earlier this month to Abbott over “constitutional concerns” that the 2021 map was racially gerrymandered.

At a Senate debate earlier this week, the top Republican on the committee fielded scathing questions from Democrats about the purpose of the maps.

“I believe the map I voted for was legal," Sen. Phil King said, referring to the 2021 maps. “And I have no facts or supporting data or any information behind the DOJ letter.”

Texas is in the middle of litigation with civil rights groups over its last maps that were drawn in 2021 who say the districts were racially gerrymandered.

Trump has also urged Republicans in Ohio to create new House maps.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has said California will do the same in response. But that state designated an independent commission in 2010 to draw its maps.