Page 81 - Quorum News Today

Texas, greg abbott, staying on brand by vowing to arrest those renegade democrats, they left the state, not for cancoon but for washington to deprive them of a quorum to kill the voter suppression law. we heard from a spokes person for governor abbott, we were suspicious about this, because she looked like the comedian blare irskin, but here is the statement nonetheless. >> i thank you so much for havings us. if we could say one thing to the texas democrats right now, we would probably say, yall...

>> reporter: right, steph. lawmakers showed up here yesterday, at least the house members, quickly realized they did not have the quorum and moved ahead with that vote, which fell along party lines, giving the sergeant at arms permission to go after those missing legislators. now, of course the sergeant of arms or anyone that he appoints has no jurisdiction outside of texas, so it is very unlikely that anything is going to come of this, given that democrats have said they do plan to remain in wa...

Time to come home. >> now, one thing that did happen here yesterday is that the texas senate which does have a quorum did actually vote on their version of that voting, that elections bill, and that did ultimately pass, but of course without that quorum in the house, and both chambers in agreement, that would not become law, and it would have to go into another special session. geoff. >> yeah, priscilla thompson on top of all things politics in austin. thank you for the great reporting. and jo...

What would happen then is the filibuster would break, and then you would get to a quorum, and you would vote, and so that is what the president is wanting to go back to, to a time where the filibuster actually worked and things got done. >> okay. but karine, youre talking about the value of the filibuster historically. im -- i need to know, though, because you do realize that none of this happens unless the filibuster goes away? >> reporter: i think what the president is saying is he wants it to...

United states. >> when i look at the african american museum, i thought about the struggle of my people fighting in this country to get the right to vote. i will not be a hostage. that my right will be stripped for me. we have fought too long and too hard for this country. >> one day after fleeing the texas state house to stop debate on the republican voter restriction bill, texas democrats met with kamala harris and senate majority leader chuck schumer and pleaded with them to pass legislation ...

>> reporter: denouncing former president trumps false claims he won. >> the 2020 election was the most scrutinized election ever in american history. the big lie is just that, a big lie. >> reporter: it comes hours after texas republicans called for the arrest of at least 51 democratic state legislators who fled the state from washington on chartered private jets to deny republicans the quorum they need to pass new voting bills. >> im not going to be a hostage. that my constituents rights will b...

Years. is there anything in this bill that you all are willing to compromise on in order to regain that quorum? and i want to play a little bit of what one lawmaker said to me in response to that question. >> i dont think the democrats are upset. they fly on private jets, theyve got beer and alcohol. i think theyre on vacation, having a great time on the taxpayers dime. >> reporter: and the republican house speaker here has said theyve already compromised on this bill. it doesnt sound like there...

Favor of the call to the house and bring their fellow democratic colleagues back when they return to the state, but, of course, those democrats signaled they do not intent to return to the state until the special session has ended, craig? >> priscilla, this arrest according to governor abbott would happen, what would be the charge? >> right, so it wouldnt necessarily be a charge. this has to do with something that is in the texas state constitution that says the house speaker has the responsibil...

Democrats, theyre going to not going to have the political capital they need to get the one thing that the biden administration from a philosophical perspective thinks is frankly more important. which is they think its about the pocketbooks of americans and if they can pass this infrastructure bill and change the sort of course of peoples personal sense of their finances and the direction of the country, thats going to be the ticket to winning reelection. its going to be the ticket to democrats ...

State. thats why democrats fled texas this time. to indefinitely deny republicans a quorum in an effort to block these voting restrictions from becoming law. nbc news is reporting tonight that before texas democrats picked d.c. as their safe harbor they had originally planned on potentially setting up camp in arizona or west virginia. why those two places? because those are the home states of two conservative democratic senators, kyrsten sinema and joe manchin, in whose hands the fate of a natio...