The Texas House of Representatives is set to reconvene Tuesday afternoon, but its ability to do so remains uncertain. Several Democratic members have left the state in protest of a Republican redistricting plan. In response, Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate and arrest the absent Democrats. This order will remain in effect until they are "accounted for and brought back" to Austin.

The House is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. CT. Many Texas Democrats departed the state on Sunday to oppose a Republican-led initiative, supported by President Donald Trump, aimed at creating a new congressional map. This map could potentially add up to five Republican seats, which would help the party maintain control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections.

Democratic governors from blue states, including Kathy Hochul of New York and Gavin Newsom of California, expressed their support for Texas Democrats on Monday. They indicated plans to engage in partisan redistricting in their own states as a countermeasure to Texas's actions. On Tuesday morning, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin is expected to join Texas House Democrats and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for a press conference.

Amid these developments, President Trump spoke on CNBC, asserting that Republicans are "entitled" to more congressional seats in Texas. He stated, "We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats."

Trump criticized Democratic governors for their plans to redraw congressional maps to favor their party. He referred to these efforts as "gerrymandered" and argued that they justify the Republican push in Texas. "California is gerrymandered. We should have many more seats in Congress. In California, it’s all gerrymandered," he said.

The ongoing redistricting debate highlights the contentious political landscape as states are required to redraw congressional boundaries every decade based on census data. However, some states, like California, have opted for independent commissions to handle this process. Trump defended the mid-decade redistricting efforts, citing his electoral success in Texas as a rationale for the changes.