WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s White House reportedly is urging Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional district lines ahead of next year’s midterm election. The goal of the rare, unscheduled redistricting would be to stack the state’s congressional delegation with even more Republicans and reduce the possibility of Democrats taking control of the U.S. House.

What You Need To Know

  • It was a series of "no comments" from Texas Republicans when it came to reports that the White House is pushing them to consider redrawing the congressional maps

  • The New York Times first reported the effort and said President Donald Trump's political team is hoping to blunt Democrat gains across the country in next year’s election from causing Republicans to lose control of the House

  • Texas Democrats denounced the reported effort saying it shows that President Trump is scared Republicans will lose their majorities in Congress and that the legal challenges to the last redistricting process in 2021 are not complete

  • Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, would have to call a special session in order for state lawmakers to redraw the maps, and Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for further comment

On Capitol Hill Tuesday, Texas Republicans in the U.S. House had little to say about reports they are weighing a highly unusual proposal to redraw the congressional maps in Texas six years early.

“I don’t know anything about it,” said U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo. 

“I have no comment on this,” said U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Midlothian. 

“I don’t know anything about it,” said U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville. “We’re still kind of cogitating.”

However, one member acknowledged there is a redistricting push being discussed.

“I’m not involved in it,” said U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock. “I’m anxious to hear more about it. We just went through redistricting a couple years ago, and I thought it worked out really well. The outcome was good for the members, the Republican members of the Texas delegation, but, you know, maybe there are some positive outcomes here.”

The New York Times first reported the proposed plan. The White House reportedly is behind the effort, hoping to blunt Democrat gains across the country in next year’s election from causing Republicans to lose control of the House.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment. 

Texas Democrats denounced the reported effort.

When asked if he is concerned that Republicans could redraw his district to get him out of Congress, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, said “They can try to change around any line that they want to change. At the end of the day, we’re moving more and more folks towards a thoughtful and more progressive and humane politics in our state. So they can keep trying to pull whatever trick in the book, but we’ve got lots of work to do. And I think today’s news just shows that Trump is freaking out, and for good reason.”

State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, who sits on the Texas House Committee on Redistricting, said that the legal challenges to the last redistricting still have not been completed.

“We just spent an enormous amount of effort fighting redistricting. The lawsuit for redistricting is going on right now as we speak, and they’re already talking about doing another redistricting that could start another lawsuit, and the reason for this is plain and simple, dirty politics,” Wu told Spectrum News.

Redistricting in Texas typically happens every 10 years, after the U.S. Census is complete. The Republican-led Texas Legislature in 2021 redrew the congressional maps to be more favorable for the GOP, with 25 districts that are largely safe for Texas Republicans and 13 for Democrats, one of which is currently vacant.

Some redistricting experts said such a change during the middle of the decade is not unprecedented, but it is rare. It also could backfire by making some solidly red districts less Republican.

“Most of the effort that gets put in putting together a congressional map takes a lot of energy, and usually a lot of deal making, and most people don’t want to reopen that, except when they have very good reason to do it, because there are many moving pieces, and you have to get people fully aligned or aligned enough to agree to it and not sue,” said Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center’s Washington, D.C. office.

“Everything comes at a cost.” Crayton said. “Can you get people all aligned to do a thing again? But also, can you do it in a way that might make some members more vulnerable than they would be under the current version of the map?”

Gov. Greg Abbott would have to call a special session in order for state lawmakers to redraw the maps. Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for further comment.

The last time state lawmakers redrew the congressional districts during the middle of the decade was back in 2003. At the time, Democrats in the Texas Legislature fled the state to try and stop it.

Punchbowl News reports that Texas Republicans will meet Thursday with a representative of the president to discuss the redistricting idea.