Congresswoman Julie Johnson reacted to Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the Legislature to redraw the congressional district lines to gain four seats in the next congress. She was especially critical of his call for this partisan scheme while the state is in the middle of dealing with a natural disaster.
Johnson said:
“Let’s be clear: this redistricting scheme is about one thing — Republicans clinging to power by cheating Texas voters.
“Ordering a redistricting scheme under the cover of disaster is one of the most shameful abuses of power we’ve seen in Texas in a generation. Our Texas voters — Democrat, Republican, and Independent — deserve fair representation, not lines drawn to silence them. To do this now, while the state is grieving, is a cruel betrayal of the people we all took an oath to serve.
“Redistricting is supposed to happen every 10 years after the Census — that’s what the Constitution says. But Donald Trump wants to shred that principle, forcing Texas to redraw maps in the middle of the decade just to protect his own political survival.
“Texans deserve better than this power grab. I will fight with everything I’ve got — in the courts, in Congress, and alongside legislators across Texas — to protect your vote and defend the dignity of every Texan.”
— David Taffet