A Texas senate committee on Thursday advanced a GOP-backed redistricting map designed to solidify Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives in future elections. 

Passed by the Texas senate special committee on congressional redistricting in a 6-1 vote, the proposed map mirrors one put forward in the Texas house earlier this month.

The revised congressional lines aim to create five Republican pickup opportunities across key areas, including Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and the Rio Grande Valley. The move sets the stage for a vote on the state senate floor, but political gridlock has stalled progress in the state house, where Texas Democrats have fled the state to block the quorum necessary to conduct business.

Adding to the growing tension, Republican officials say the FBI is coordinating efforts to trace the whereabouts of the Democratic lawmakers who fled the state. Meanwhile, a Texas state senator, Borris Miles, a Democrat and member of the senate redistricting committee, vocally opposed the GOP-led plan, calling it an “openly racist” effort to disenfranchise voters of color.

“I’m truly saddened, but I guess at this point I should not be shocked by the fact that my colleagues … have openly embraced an invitation to engage in overt racism,” Mr. Miles told reporters before the vote. “These seats don’t belong to Donald J. Trump … they belong to the people of Texas.”

Adding fuel to the fiery standoff, Governor Abbott, a Republican, filed an emergency petition with the Texas supreme court on Tuesday, seeking to remove a Democratic state representative, Gene Wu, from office. Mr. Abbott accused Mr. Wu, chairman of the Texas house Democratic Caucus, of violating the state constitution by fleeing the state capitol to deny quorum during the current redistricting debate.

The petition alleges that Mr. Wu “willfully abandoned” his role during a special legislative session aimed at passing the GOP’s proposed congressional map, which has been criticized by voting rights groups for entrenching Republican power and diminishing minority representation.

“He committed to going where ‘the governor has no power to reach into other states’ and remaining there for one purpose – to kill the Special Session and stymie a vote on new congressional maps,” Mr. Abbott’s petition said. 

The governor also alleged that Mr. Wu and other lawmakers used a private charter flight, funded by large Democratic donors, to leave the state, suggesting the actions amounted to bribery under the Texas constitution.

Mr. Wu fired back, accusing Mr. Abbott of using legal tools as weapons against political dissent. “Unable to defend his corrupt agenda on its merits, Greg Abbott now desperately seeks to silence my dissent by removing a duly elected official from office,” Mr. Wu said in a public statement. “You have failed the people of Texas, and you are using the courts to punish those who refused to fail with you.”

In another development on Thursday, Senator Cornyn announced that the FBI director, Kash Patel, will provide federal assistance to help state and local law enforcement locate Texas house Democrats who fled the state.

“I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” the Texas Republican said in an official statement.