Spokespeople available in Spanish and English for additional comment or interview at request
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2025
CONTACT: Shannon Jensen (she/her), [email protected], 631-671-5352
AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott today signed House Bill 4 into law, enacting a mid-decade congressional redistricting plan. HB 4 redraws Texas’s congressional districts and is projected to shift up to five additional U.S. House seats toward Republicans. The measure passed the Texas House on August 20, 2025, by a vote of 88–52, and legal challenges are expected.
Texas Freedom Network Executive Director Felicia Martin (she/her) issued the following response:
“HB 4 is a shameless power grab aimed to cater to national Republican interest, not the interests or well-being of people here in Texas. Instead of honoring the diversity of our state, lawmakers pushed through a map that erases communities of color from fair participation in our democracy. By silencing millions of Texans, this law rigs the system and denies our communities the fair representation we deserve. When lawmakers manipulate district lines to diminish the voices of communities of color, they are actively choosing to deny Texans their rights in order to cling to control.
“Instead of Governor Abbott using the special session to help Texans in need of flood relief, he’s pushing Trump’s agenda by ramming through partisan maps to lock in power. This is nothing but a Trump takeover. As HB 4 becomes law, the Texas Freedom Network will continue working alongside grassroots partners, voting-rights advocates, and communities across the state to fight this discriminatory map in the courts and at the ballot box. Texans deserve fair maps, real representation, and a government that protects democracy instead of dismantling it.”
In 2026, TFN and our youth organizing arm, Texas Rising Action, will endorse candidates committed to fair representation and mobilize voters to demand accountability at the ballot box.
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The Texas Freedom Network (tfn.org) is a grassroots organization of religious and community leaders and young Texans building an informed and effective movement for equality and social justice.
