'Do you even know what's going on in your state?' Newsom's epic putdown to Texas senator
California Governor Gavin Newsom looks on as he speaks to the press after a hearing on the use of National Guard troops amid federal immigration sweeps, at the California State Supreme Court in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Yuri Avila

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ridiculed Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) Friday for apparently being unaware that the Texas Legislature is currently in recess amid a special session.

Having commenced on Monday, the special session was called by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to address flood warning systems following the deadly Central Texas flood earlier this month, as well as to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a suspected ploy pushed by President Donald Trump to boost GOP numbers in Congress.

With the Texas House in recess on Friday, a number of Texas House Democrats left to meet with Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to workshop ways to oppose Republicans’ attempts to gerrymander the state, with plans to return later the same day.

Cornyn, the senior senator representing Texas, didn’t take kindly to the news that Texas House Democrats would be leaving the state for a few hours.

“Leaving the State of Texas when a 30-day special session is underway is a dereliction of duty,” Cornyn wrote in a social media post on X. “I support all methods of returning these legislators to the State Capitol so state business can continue.”

Newsom, apparently more informed than Cornyn on the day-to-day happenings of the special session, subsequently ridiculed the senator..

“They are on recess,” Newsom wrote in a social media post on X. “Do you even know what’s going on in your own state?”

Cornyn is not alone in his threats towards dissenting Texas lawmakers. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s top law enforcement officer, threatened to arrest Texas House Democrats if they leave the state to avoid voting on Republicans’ efforts to redraw the state’s congressional district maps in their favor.

Democrats nationwide have responded by suggesting that they, too, might redraw their own states’ congressional district maps to favor their own party's, with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) pledging to “go nuclear” on Wednesday should Texas Republicans succeed in their gerrymandering efforts.


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