AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, stripped Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, of his position as speaker pro tem Thursday.  It's the first major backlash for a Democrat who fled the chamber Monday for Washington to stop a GOP-backed elections bill.

Rep. Moody brushed it off.

"The most important titles in my life will never change: Dad, Husband, El Pasoan," Moody tweeted. "Nothing political has ever even cracked the top three, so nothing has changed about who I am or what my values are."

Rep. Chris Turner, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, criticized Phelan’s statement in a social media post.

"The smartest decision Dade Phelan has made as speaker was to appoint Joe Moody Speaker Pro Tem," he said.

Turner also issued a joint statement with Democratic caucus leaders Rafael Anchía of Dallas, Garnet Coleman of Houston and Nicole Collier of Fort Worth with a warning shot to Phelan about his next race for speaker.

"“We are a coequal branch of government…There needs to be 76 members who decide who our next Speaker is, and more than 60 are not there,” the statement read.

Still, Phelan took other steps to try to get Democrats to come home and finish the special session.

"In an effort to further compel House Democrats to return to the State of Texas, I am chartering a plane that will be on standby in Washington, D.C. on Saturday,” he said in a statement.

Phelan’s office said his campaign is paying for the plane, not taxpayer dollars.

Democrats quickly responded they won’t be on it.

“The Speaker should save his money. We won’t be needing a plane anytime soon, as our work to save democracy from the Trump Republicans is just getting started,” Reps. Anchia, Turner and Collier said in a statement.

Speaker Phelan also continued to pressure Democrats who broke quorum to return their $221 per day payments.

"Texas taxpayers demand better, and I demand that Democrats return their legislative per diem and get back to Texas to pass legislation that would provide a 13th check for retired teachers, protect our foster kids, and provide relief from high property taxes," Phelan said.

Some of the Democrats insisted on social media that they had requested a shutoff of per-diem payments.