voting rights fight
Texas governor threatens to cut off funding to lawmakers after Democrats block restrictive voting bill
After Texas Democrats blocked a bill that would restrict voting rights, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) tweeted on Monday that he intends to cut off funding for the state legislature.
"I will veto Article 10 of the budget passed by the legislature," he wrote. "Article 10 funds the legislative branch. No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities. Stay tuned."
On Sunday night, shortly before a midnight deadline to hold a vote on Senate Bill 7, Texas Democrats trickled out of the state House, after using every other parliamentary tool to try to block the measure. Because there weren't enough lawmakers present to vote, the bill was stopped for the time being. Abbott quickly tweeted on Sunday night that he would add the bill to a special session agenda, but did not set a date for it.
Texas state Rep. Chris Turner, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told CNN on Monday his colleagues plan to "fight [Abbott] every step of the way, we're going to fight Republicans every step of the way, and we're going to do whatever it takes to continue to stop, slow down, and mitigate this legislation." He also called on Congress to pass legislation that will protect voting rights nationally.
Senate Bill 7 would make it harder for Texans to vote by mail, limit voting hours, eliminate 24-hour polling and drive-through voting centers, ban voting on Sundays before 1 p.m., and empower partisan poll watchers, NBC News reports.