Texas House Democrats returned to Austin on 18 August, ending a two-week walkout that had denied the chamber a quorum and stalled a mid-decade redistricting push championed by Governor Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump. House Speaker Dustin Burrows gaveled the chamber into session at noon with enough members present to conduct business, while arrest warrants and $500-a-day fines remain in place for lawmakers who were absent during the first special session. Republican leaders said the House redistricting committee would meet later Monday and forecast a floor vote as early as Wednesday on a map designed to add five GOP-leaning U.S. House seats before the 2026 midterms. Democrats argue the plan dilutes minority representation and signalled they will challenge it in court, but acknowledged their quorum break achieved its primary goal of blocking action during the initial special session that ended last week. The Texas confrontation has spurred a partisan escalation elsewhere. Three days before the Democrats’ return, California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a counter-proposal that could shift up to five congressional seats toward Democrats. The plan, which would override the state’s independent redistricting commission, must clear the legislature by Friday to appear on a 4 November statewide ballot. Republicans in other states, including Indiana and Missouri, are weighing their own mid-decade maps, while good-government groups warn of a legal battle over both Texas and California proposals. With the parties separated by only a handful of seats in the U.S. House, even modest changes in the two most populous states could help decide control of Congress in 2026.