Texas Democrats have fled the state to block a Republican bill that overhauls elections. Governor Greg Abbott says when they return to the state, they will be arrested for disrupting the legislative process. Rep. Jasmine Crockett told CNN, “I don’t worry. ... I understand that I’ve not committed a crime, so I can’t get arrested,” She said at most, Abbott can have them detained but not arrested. Abbott called a special session to pass an election overhaul bill. Republicans say it’s necessary to prevent irregularities and fraud. But Democrats say it amounts to voter suppression.
The White House is working with Senate Democrats on a multi-trillion-dollar spending package. The plan would significantly expand and reshape federal spending. Senator Bernie Sanders met with President Joe Biden to talk about an infrastructure bill Monday. That bill includes the Democrat’s social spending priorities. Sanders is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He says the bill is a way for the government to help working families. Sanders initially proposed a $6 trillion package. Biden’s proposal comes in at $3.5 trillion. Manchin or any moderate Democrat can reduce the size of the bill if they don’t support it. Every Democrat will have to vote for it to get it through the evenly divided Senate.
