After Texas Democrats stalked off the floor of the Texas House chamber on Sunday night in order to break quorum and prevent the Texas GOP from passing Senate Bill 7, the GOP voting rights bill, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott fired back that he would veto the state legislature’s budget, thus preventing the members from getting paid.
“I will veto Article 10 of the budget passed by the legislature,” Abbott tweeted. “Article 10 funds the legislative branch. No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities. Stay tuned.”
I will veto Article 10 of the budget passed by the legislature.
Article 10 funds the legislative branch.
No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities.
Stay tuned.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 31, 2021
Abbott, who has called for a special legislative session, followed by tweeting, “The last time a stunt like this happened was… …Wendy Davis. We all know how that story ended.”
The last time a stunt like this happened was…
…Wendy Davis.We all know how that story ended.https://t.co/R95Ey7rhRA
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 1, 2021
Abbott was referring to June 2013, when then-Texas state senator Wendy Davis held a filibuster for 13 hours to block Senate Bill 5, a strong pro-life measure. With the help of the filibuster, which pushed the bill past the midnight deadline for the end of the legislative session, the bill was delayed, but when a second session was convened, the bill was passed anyway. The filibuster triggered the Democrats to choose Davis to run for governor in 2014, but she was crushed by Abbott, 59% to 38%.
Abbott stated Monday, “I expect legislators to have worked out their differences prior to arriving back at the Capitol so that they can hit the ground running to pass legislation related to these emergency items and other priority legislation. During the special session, we will continue to advance policies that put the people of Texas first,” as KXXV reported.
Abbott added, “This session we passed legislation to: secure our border, support our police, expand 2A rights, defend religious liberty, protect life. It was one of the most conservative sessions our state has ever seen. But, there’s more we must do to ensure a brighter future for Texas. Election integrity & bail reform were must-pass emergency items. I expect legislators to work out their differences before special session.”
But, there's more we must do to ensure a brighter future for Texas.
Election integrity & bail reform were must-pass emergency items.
I expect legislators to work out their differences before special session. pic.twitter.com/iycA6Mvy3C
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 31, 2021
Among the changes that Senate Bill 7 would implement are stricter mail-in voting requirements and the barring of drive-thru voting.
Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cain, who carried the bill in the House, stated, “I am disappointed that some members decided to break quorum. We all know what that meant. I understand why they were doing it, but we all took an oath to Texans that we would be here to do our jobs.”
Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes told KLTV, “Last night, some of our Democratic colleagues in the house left. We all took an oath to be here and to be here and cast these votes and represent our constituents, win or lose. I’ve won some; I’ve lost some, but we stay here and we fight it out. And so we were disappointed to see them do that. And so, the governor’s calling us back and he’s doing the right thing. Election integrity, accessibility, security, making sure our elections are working right; it’s fundamental to our democracy, and we’re not gonna let national headlines or even half-truths from the White House keep us from doing the right thing.”