Illinois Senator Dick Durbin joined Texas Democrats to warn that the Lone Star state's plan for a mid-decade redistricting could be the first sign of a threat to the entire country. 

Texas Democratic lawmakers have been in Illinois for over a week, along with other Democrat-led states, to prevent the Texas State House from achieving a quorum in order to prevent a vote on redrawing congressional maps to give the Republican Party five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives before the 2026 midterm elections at the behest of President Trump.

In return, Illinois, New York and California are all threatening to retaliate against Texas and Trump by proposing their own redistricting, putting the country at the brink of a tit-for-tat overhaul of congressional boundaries that are typically only redrawn once a decade following a census.

"The reason he's doing it cannot be ignored," Sen. Durbin said. "The 'Big Beautiful budget' which passed in Congress was planned by president Trump to change America in a way that America doesn't want to be changd."

Some of the Texas lawmakers said state troopers have been seen outside their Texas homes as Gov. Greg Abbott threatens to arrest them if they return to Texas.

The special session ends on Aug. 19. The Texas Democrats said if Abbot calls another, they hope it will be about the Texas flood victims and not the congressional maps. 

The Chicago area hotel where many of the Texas Democrats are staying has been evacuated twice in just two days because of bomb threats. Gov. JB Pritzker said last week he believes the threats can be connected back to a right-wing podcaster who shared the hotel's exact location and a map with their audience. Pritzker said has not identified the podcaster, but said law enforcement believes one of their followers was likely behind the threats.

In each evacuation, no explosives were found and all the hotel guests are safe.