Page 80 - Quorum News Today

>> reporter: even as he spoke, dozens of texas house democrats were fanning out across capitol hill, one day after they fled the state by private jet. >> were hoping that congress would understand the urgency. reporter: without them, a specsession of the texas legislature ground to a halt today. >> the motion fails for lack of quorum. >> reporter: holding up a vote on a g.o.p. bill that would scale back vote by mail and give more rights to partisan poll watches who could intimidate voters. the b...

Jump in here because i think that the senator, from what weve heard -- listen, hes met with advocates, hes met with his colleagues, hes met with the activists, he has not been moved. you are using your example. hes already seen that youve come to d.c. he is not moved. so if youre not using words and the example doesnt work, do you think that you will be or that anyone will be able to convince those senators who have publicly, and there may be some who arent public about it, who are not willing t...

We first broke quorum. well be here to talk about specific points on why this piece of legislation is incredibly harmful, one of the most egregious across the nation. its an attack on our freedom to vote, not only for texans, but these policies are being rammed through these legislatures across the nation. we certainly need the support. >> president biden, as you know, gave an impassioned speech yesterday defending voting rights and attacking new voting laws likes the ones youre seeing in texas....

This? >> her message was first to thank us for what we did in breaking quorum. secondly that she has heard our message loud and clear that it is time for congress and the senate to get to work. and that is the message that she, that she got from us. >> and what are you hoping to convey to senator manchin tomorrow, because he has signaled that a carve out for constitutional issues and voting rights issues are off of the table. >> i think it is incumbent upon us to explain this bill, and how terri...

Tomorrow in d.c. to push for federal national protection of voting rights. >> the best hope to get that through, obviously, is to end the legislative filibuster, but manchin has made clear over and over again nothing is going to change his mind on that. lets bring in texas statehouse representative claudia ortez perez who, if anybody missed it, is one of the 50 members of the delegation who flew from texas to washington so you would be able to break quorum and you wouldnt be able to get enough p...

Conversation around some of the more product call issues like the thrown check for retired teachers, foster care reform so republicans are starting to message around that and what democrats are not getting done as a result of being in washington, d.c. and having broken quorum but in terms of what republicans can do to try to compel their democratic colleagues to come back there, isnt really much that they can do, and asked one of the republican lawmakers here with b that. take a listen to what h...

They met with kamala harris on tuesday night. and pricilla thomas remains on duty. he met with president biden to talk about voting rights. ly start with you on the ground there. what do we expect from texas republicans today about to try to convene the special session again less than an hour from now? >> yeah, graig, were going into day two without a quorum. theyre going to continue to hold meetings and work on legislation even though they will not be able to take a vote or pass that legislatio...

The state, not for cancun foot for washington, and they plan to stay away for a month to deprive the state house chamber of a quorum as their attempt to kill that voter oppression law. we heard from a spokeswoman, but we were suspicious about this because she looks so much like the comedian blair or skin, but here is the statement nonetheless. >> thank you so much for having us, if we could say one thing to the texas democrats right now, we will probably say, you guys are being sneaky. come back...

Conference at the top of the next hour with a state republicans here in texas and more importantly the state senate because both republican and democrat senators elected to stay behind and they are still working. in fact, still voting on bills at the state house here behind me. however, as you know at this point those votes are more symbolic in nature carrying not much weight without the lower chambers 2/3 quorum present. is texas house is what has come to a grinding halt and if the democrats wh...

Today marks the second day in a row that the texas statehouse is convened without a quorum after the democrats left the state over a restrictive voting rights bill. the group of texas house democrats is intensifying their lobbying efforts as they meet with federal lawmakers and some texas state senators are joining them. >> if anyone thinks this is a vacation, let me -- let me help you out with your definition because i would much rather be home with my family. they ask how much voter fraud are ...