Texas Democrats' escape to block voting bill will cost around $1.5 million, legislator says - NBC News

More than 50 Democratic members of the state House fled Austin for Washington, D.C., last Monday, paralyzing the House just as the GOP was advancing sweeping changes in elections during a special session.

The charter jets were paid for by wire transfer from the state House Democratic Caucus just hours before takeoff Monday afternoon, after NBC News reported that the legislators were planning to leave town, a caucus staffer with knowledge of the matter said.

hotel was booked with a House member's personal American Express card, said a legislator, who added that members expect to be reimbursed eventually.

No taxpayer dollars are being spent on the trip, and the House Democratic Caucus and other caucuses within the party, including the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, have used existing funds to cover costs so far, caucus and staff members said.

Late last week, after frenzied early days of meetings with senators on Capitol Hill and Vice President Kamala Harris to advocate for passage of federal voting legislation, the House Democratic Caucus began tapping organizations and individuals for financial support.

Walle, the state representative, said the Democratic caucus was still tallying up donations and commitments, which he estimated at $250,000 so far.

Day 3 was the first morning that included hot food for breakfast — earning cheers from the members sick of bagels, the caucus staffer said.

Beto O'Rourke's voting rights group, Powered by People, said it raised more than a half-million dollars in the first 48 hours of the legislators' trip, with more than 14,000 donations.

"We bailed out Freedom Riders in the 1960s and will do it again in support of Texas Democrats' quest to combat unprecedented attacks on voting rights," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said last week.

The Texas Democrats plan to spend the week meeting with national voting rights advocates and labor leaders, election officials and other Democrats as they seek to keep the pressure on Congress to pass federal voting legislation