WASHINGTON — Texas House Democrats met with U.S. senators in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, and they say they're making progress.
However, some have questioned if the senators they're meeting with are the ones whose votes need to be swayed.
At a press conference Wednesday, Texas Democrats were asked why they hadn't met with any U.S. senators who are on the fence about a federal voting bill.
“That's not true,” said. Rep. Chris Turner. “I was in a meeting with Senator (Joe) Manchin a few weeks ago, and there will be other meetings ahead.”
Rep. Jarvis Johnson from Houston said he saw the showdown coming back in April. He said he's not going back to Texas during the special session, no matter what.
While they're here, the Texas Democrats say their expenses are being funded by donations to the caucus and some money out of their own pockets.
They say the reason Texas Republicans are determined to pass a bill banning drive-thru and 24-hour voting is because when they'd tried it in 2020, it worked.
On Wednesday, a group of Republican National Committee members held signs in protest outside of the press conference. They say things are different than they were at the height of the pandemic.
"I think this is more of a return to normal voting practices now that we're coming out of this COVID crisis, so the 24-hour voting centers don't make as much sense anymore,” said Gates McGavick, RNC’s director of strategic communications.
There's still no end in sight to all of this. When the special session ends in August in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to call for more if necessary.