Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the Texas Democrats who left the state in an effort to block the state legislature’s dominant Republicans from passing voting restriction laws.
However, White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sidestepped questions about whether President Biden would also meet with those state House members.
“This week, the vice president will meet with Texas legislators who broke quorum to block legislation that would have made it significantly harder for the people of Texas to vote,” Ms. Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.
She provided no further details on the meeting when pressed by reporters.
The Democratic legislators fled Texas and flew to D.C. in a long-shot effort to block the passage of a new voting law by preventing the state House from operating. The Texas House of Representatives requires a quorum of at least two-thirds of its 150 members to be present for a vote.
About 60 Democratic lawmakers flew on a pair of chartered flights, arriving at Dulles International Airport on Monday afternoon.
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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said Tuesday he plans to meet with the lawmakers to “plot out strategy and praise them for what they are doing.”
The Texas Democrats say they plan to return when the 30-day special session ends next month.
They say the voting law, which would ban 24-hour polling places and expand the authority of poll watchers, disenfranchises minorities. Republicans say the measures are essential for election security.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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