Andrew Schneider | Houston Public Media

Republican state lawmakers argue their proposed congressional redistricting map would create Latino opportunity districts. But state Rep. Vince Perez (D-El Paso) counters that the map is drawn to leave Latino residents with one-third the voting power of whites. For Blacks, he says it would be one-fifth.

Ten Texas Democrats as well as two Republicans – one from California and another from New York – are advocating federal legislation to restrict states to redistricting once a decade, following the U.S. Census, unless otherwise required by courts. The chances of passing such a bill in the current Congress are slim.

The attorney general issued an opinion after Texas House Democrats broke quorum in 2021, stating that the move could allow Gov. Greg Abbott to replace lawmakers with appointees of his choosing.

The move effectively brings the state House of Representatives to a standstill and prevents any consideration by the full chamber of HB 4, which would dramatically redraw Texas’ congressional maps.

The proposed map targets districts dominated by coalitions of Latino and Black voters, with a focus on districts in the Rio Grande Valley, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Central Texas. Houston Democrats would also see their districts shuffled.

President Donald Trump is seeking to pick up at least four, potentially five, Texas congressional seats for Republicans in a midterm election cycle that ordinarily would favor the Democrats. Gov. Greg Abbott has obliged Trump by adding redistricting to a crowded special session that also includes disaster recovery and preparedness.

Michael Coen, chief of staff of FEMA under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, called on the state to be more proactive in preparing for disasters.

President Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation package, which he signed into law July 4, includes roughly $13 billion in funding to reimburse states that spent, or plan to spend, their own funds to deter illegal border crossings between January 2021 and January 2029.

Sixteen Texas families of multiple faiths and nonreligious backgrounds filed the case against multiple school districts across the state, asserting Senate Bill 10 violates the Establishment and Free Expression Clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is leading incumbent U.S. Sen. Cornyn in most polls in the Republican Senate primary. But the most recent poll on the 2026 general election shows former U.S. Rep. Allred within striking distance of beating Paxton if he ends up being the GOP candidate.