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Few acts of defiance burn as brightly or cost as much as state legislators fleeing their own turf to grind the gears of government to a halt. The latest spectacle, Texas House Democrats chartering private jets to Illinois in August 2025 to dodge a Republican led redistricting vote, is just another chapter in a saga that stretches back over a century. These quorum breaking stunts, steeped in a mix of principle and political posturing, come with a hefty price tag both in dollars and democratic credibility.
From 1870 to 2025 The roots of quorum breaking run deep in the Lone Star State. In 1870, 13 Texas senators bolted from the Capitol to block a bill granting the governor wartime powers. Dubbed the “Rump Senate incident,” the fleeing lawmakers were rounded up, but their act set a precedent for using absence as a weapon. This ended up costing $5,000-$10,000 in 2025 dollars, primarily for law enforcement efforts.
Fast forward to 1979, when the “Killer Bees” 12 Democratic state senators hid out for four days to derail a primary election shift favoring a GOP darling. They succeeded, but only briefly. This ended up costing $94,000–$188,000 in 2025 dollars.
In 2003, Texas Democrats, nicknamed the “Killer Ds,” fled to Oklahoma and New Mexico to stall a Republican redistricting plan. The 46 day Senate walkout and four day House walkout delayed other legislative priorities resulting in $9.8 million-$10.7 million in 2025 dollars with special sessions being the largest cost driver, followed by lawmaker expenses and law enforcement.
And in 2021, they jetted to Washington, D.C., for a 38 day stand against a voting restrictions bill. Over 50 lawmakers took private jets to D.C.. 2 Private jet charters cost $100,000-$150,000 round trip. Hotels and meals in D.C. for 38 days averaged $300-$500 per day per lawmaker totaling $570,000-$950,000 for 50 lawmakers. When it was all said and done, the Democrat’s hissy fit cost roughly $4.8 million-$5.6 million in 2025 dollars.
Each time, the gambit delayed the inevitable, as Republican majorities eventually pushed through their agendas. It doesn’t work, but these stunts cost alot of money.
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Now, in 2025, at least 51 Texas House Democrats have retreated to Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts to block a Trump backed redistricting map that could hand the GOP five more congressional seats. This isn’t just a Texas quirk, other states have seen similar walkouts. In 2011, Indiana Democrats holed up in Illinois for five weeks to protest union busting legislation, while Wisconsin’s “Wisconsin 14” fled to Rockford, Illinois, that same year to fight a bill stripping public employee bargaining rights.
