The state legislature will take the rare step of considering mid-decade redrawing of district lines in light of concerns raised by the Justice Department.
The Texas legislature, citing the Trump administration's concerns, will consider congressional redistricting during a special session set to begin July 21.
The agenda set by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday states that the session will consider "legislation that provides a revised congressional redistricting plan in light of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice."
Abbott initially called the special session last month to address unfinished business from the regular session. He did not say the agenda would include redistricting at the time.
Congressional district lines are typically redrawn about once every decade to account for population changes documented in the U.S. census, making a mid-cycle redrawing such as Texas's rare.
If the Texas legislature -- where Republicans hold majorities in both chambers -- redraws map lines ahead of next year's midterm elections, it could bolster the narrow GOP majority in the U.S. House. However, according to the New York Times, some Texas Republicans have voiced concerns that the plan could backfire and endanger incumbent conservatives.
In March, the Justice Department withdrew from a lawsuit claiming that Texas's legislative and congressional district maps discriminated against the state's Black and Latino voters. The lawsuit was initiated during Joe Biden's presidency.
The 2020 Census indicated that the state's population growth was largely driven by voters of color. Biden's Justice Department argued that the 2021 Republican-drawn maps of Texas denied Black and Latino voters an equal opportunity to participate in the election process by splitting minority communities and diluting their political power.
During the last round of redistricting in Texas, Republican lawmakers created new opportunities for themselves in South Texas, where they have been increasingly targeting Hispanic voters. After the new maps went into effect, Republican Monica De La Cruz captured a district previously held by a Democrat.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Texas Republican Party said in a statement that the inclusion of redistricting as part of the special session was a priority aligned with the state GOP's platform, adding that it is "an essential step to preserving GOP control in Congress and advancing President Trump's America First agenda."
The Texas Democratic Party claimed the redistricting plan was being considered "at Donald Trump's behest, designed to mitigate forecasted Republican losses under his unpopular administration."
"Unsurprisingly, the target districts ... are all Democratic," the party's statement said. "These districts, originally drawn by Republicans, are now subject to a power grab aimed at undermining voters who do not align with their ideology and protecting Donald Trump's assault on working families."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) criticized Abbott's decision to include redistricting in the special session. "While Texans battle tragic and deadly flooding, Governor Abbott and House Republicans are plotting a mid-decade gerrymander," Jeffries wrote on X. "They should be modernizing emergency response -- not rigging maps."
The agenda announced Wednesday includes items related to improving flood warning systems, flood emergency communications and providing relief funding in response to the recent deadly floods in the state.
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, an anti-gerrymandering organization started by former Obama-era attorney general Eric Holder, argued that Texas's redistricting effort is aimed at helping Republicans "cheat" in the 2026 midterm elections.
"Texas's congressional map already silences the voices of thousands of Texans. That's why Texas voters have spent the last three years in court challenging it for violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Now, Texas Republicans want to enact an even more egregious gerrymander, because they are afraid of voters who are furious with their unpopular MAGA agenda and horrific budget bill," NDRC President John Bisognano said in a statement. "This is an attack on democracy. Trump and Republicans in Congress know that they cannot win fairly in 2026, so they are demanding that Abbott cheat."
Special sessions in Texas can last up to 30 days and are limited to topics designated by the governor. But there's no limit to the number of special sessions the state executive can call -- Abbott called four special sessions in 2023. Two of those special sessions were tacked onto preceding ones that had lasted the full 30 days.
Trump has also signaled his support for potential legislation -- that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) announced earlier this month she planned to introduce -- known as the "Making American Elections Great Again Act," to redo the U.S. census by only counting U.S. citizens and subsequently call on states to redraw congressional district maps based on the new census's findings.
"I would love it," Trump told reporters on July 1 when asked about Greene's bill. "... I think it's going to do very well. ... It's captivated the country. Everybody wants it. It's going to get in. It's going to pass. You're going to be very happy."
Greene told Fox News that Trump is "definitely supporting" her bill.
The first Trump administration tried to include a citizenship question in the last U.S. census. But in 2019, the Supreme Court froze that plan, saying the government had provided a "contrived" reason for wanting the information.
Patrick Svitek and Matt Viser contributed to this report.