Democratic state lawmakers in Texas continue to make national news after they vacated the state, denying the Republican majority a quorum to pass voter suppression and anti-trans legislation during the special legislative session called by Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
The Texas Democrats—who are currently in Washington, D.C. calling on the United States Congress to pass voting rights legislation—have been hailed by fellow party members across the country for the move. Meanwhile, Republican critics accuse them of not doing their jobs, and Governor Abbott has even said they'll be arrested upon their return.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina appeared in an interview with far-right Fox News host Maria Bartiromo—one of the network's top disinformation peddlers.
The United States Senate is preparing to pass a sweeping budget bill as a component to President Biden's infrastructure agenda. The bill—which is still being negotiated among Democrats—will bypass the filibuster using a budget exception called "reconciliation." It's almost certain not to receive any Republican support.
Graham threatened that Senate Republicans would take a page from the book of Texas Democrats and walk out, denying Senate Dems a quorum.
Watch below.
Graham told Bartiromo:
"If for some reason, they pass reconciliation budget resolution to bring that bill to the floor of the United States Senate—the $3.5 trillion bill—you gotta have a quorum to pass a bill in the Senate. I would leave before I'd let that happen, so to my Republican colleagues, we may learn something from our Democratic friends in Texas when it comes to avoiding a $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend package. Leave town."
He went on to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris to praise Republicans for leaving in the same way she praised Texas Democrats for standing up for voting rights.
This, of course, is not how the United States Senate works. The U.S. Senate requires a simple majority for a quorum—which Democrats narrowly hold. The Texas Senate requires a two-thirds majority for a quorum.
Lindsey Graham has been in the Senate for nearly two decades and almost certainly knows this.
People reminded him just in case.
Nevertheless, Graham's critics urged him to follow through on the threat.
We won't know Graham's sincerity until the reconciliation bill is eventually brought to the floor.
@joehas/X