AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats on Monday prevented their state’s House of Representatives from moving forward, at least for now, with a redrawn congressional map sought by President Donald Trump to shore up Republicans’ 2026 midterm prospects as his political standing falters.

After dozens of Democrats left the state, the Republican-dominated House was unable to establish the quorum of lawmakers required to do business. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made threats about removing some members of the opposition from their seats.

Democrats have countered that Abbott is using “smoke and mirrors” to assert legal authority he does not have.

The Republican-dominated House issued civil arrest warrants intended to compel the return of absent members, but it was not immediately clearly whether those can or will be enforced beyond Texas borders.

House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows urged Democrats to return to “fulfill your duty.”

“If you continue to go down this road, there will be consequences,” he said.

The Democratic revolt and Abbott’s threats ratcheted up a widening fight over congressional maps that began in Texas but expanded to include Democratic governors who have floated the possibility of rushing to redraw their own state maps in retaliation, even if their options are limited. The dispute also offers another example of Trump’s aggressive view of presidential power and his grip on the Republican Party nationally, while testing the longstanding balance of powers among the federal government and individual states.

At the center of the escalating impasse is Trump’s hope of adding five more GOP-leaning congressional seats in Texas before the 2026 midterm elections. That would bolster his party’s chances of preserving its slim U.S. House majority, as Republicans were unable to do in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first presidency. Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’ 38 seats.

Speaking Monday on Fox News, Abbott essentially admitted to the partisan power play, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court has determined “there is nothing illegal” about shaping districts to a majority party’s advantage. He even openly acknowledged it as “gerrymandering” before correcting himself to say Texas is “drawing lines.”