Democrats slam rush to redraw US House maps at first hearing in Texas
[July 25, 2025]
By NADIA LATHAN
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.
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Texas state Rep. Carl H. Tepper, R-Lubbock, looks through U.S.
Congressional District maps during a redistricting hearing at the
Texas Capitol, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP
Photo/Eric Gay)
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.
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