AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — With just 22 days left in Texas’ special legislative session, the state’s redistricting battle is reaching a boiling point, and lawmakers have yet to release a single proposed map.

At a Senate hearing Monday, frustrations mounted from both lawmakers and community leaders as the state continues holding public hearings on how to redraw its 38 congressional districts, without actually revealing any proposed district lines to the public.

“This isn’t just about lines on a map,” said Sen. Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso). “These decisions are going to affect our democracy for years to come.”

So far, neither the public nor members of the Senate or House Redistricting Committees have been shown any draft maps, despite pressure from President Donald Trump to redraw the lines and help Republicans flip up to five additional seats in the U.S. House next year.

Gov. Greg Abbott added redistricting to the special session agenda earlier this month following a controversial letter from the U.S. Department of Justice accusing Texas of racial gerrymandering.

“It’s an empty exercise to be asked to testify on redistricting when [voters] can’t share with you the effects of that redistricting plan on them,” said Nina Perales, Vice President of Litigation at Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

Sen. Phil King (R-Weatherford), who chairs the Senate Redistricting Committee, acknowledged that he hasn’t seen a map either, and said Tuesday that he could not offer a timeline for when one would be released.

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While King said he disagrees with the DOJ’s assessment, he admitted he hasn’t reviewed the full evidence behind the letter.

The July letter from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has become a political lightning rod. It alleges that Texas’ current maps dilute Black and Hispanic voting power and may violate the Voting Rights Act.

In response, Senate Democrats are now urging the committee to issue a subpoena to compel Dhillon to testify before the committee. Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) argued during Tuesday's hearing that nothing is preventing the committee from issuing such a subpoena.

“It is our understanding that there is no bar to issuing a subpoena versus enforcing a subpoena,” Alvarado said.

King replied that he would be willing to entertain a motion at the committee’s formal meeting on Wednesday, though legal experts say enforcing a subpoena on a federal official from out of state would likely face major hurdles.

“The powers of the Texas Legislature to subpoena and require a federal official to appear are not all that strong,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University.

While the Senate hearing was underway in Austin, members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus were 700 miles away in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The group met with New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to rally national support against the redistricting process.

“We are dealing with Governor Greg Abbott, who only caters to one person and that’s Donald Trump,” said Rep. John Bucy III (D-Austin), who joined the trip. “We want to make sure the [Governor of New Mexico] knows what’s happening in Texas and how it would impact the entire country.”

This marks the third out-of-state trip by House Democrats during the special session. Previous visits included meetings with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

While Democrats have not formally broken quorum, as they did in 2021, party leaders have suggested that could still be on the table if the process continues without transparency or public input.

“This is political theater,” said Jones. “It’s another way for Democrats to put pressure on an issue that Texas Republicans would rather not be talking about.”

Adding to the national spotlight, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is scheduled to visit the Texas Capitol on Wednesday. The New York congressman has been sharply critical of the redistricting push, calling it a coordinated effort between Trump, Abbott, and House Republicans to manipulate the next election.

“Donald Trump, House Republicans here in Washington, and Governor Abbott are conspiring to rig the Texas congressional map,” Jeffries said in a national press conference last week.

According to Jones, that accusation is more than political messaging; it’s a strategy.

“One of the principal reasons Trump is pushing redistricting in Texas is to try to keep Hakeem Jeffries from becoming the next Speaker of the U.S. House,” Jones explained, “and thereby block President Trump’s legislative agenda during the final two years of his term.”

The Senate Redistricting Committee could vote on the proposed subpoena as early as Wednesday. Meanwhile, House Democrats plan to rally alongside Jeffries at the Capitol, underscoring how redistricting in Texas has become a national flashpoint.

With less than three weeks left in the special session, lawmakers and legal experts say a second session may be needed to finalize any new maps.

Still, some Texans say it already feels like the outcome is predetermined.

“You’ve been ordered to find votes for the president,” said Carol Balmueller, a Texas resident who testified Monday. “And you’re just following his orders like a puppy follows its master.”