It’s still not clear how exactly a large group of Texas Democrat state lawmakers is financing their trip to Washington, D.C. We do know a couple of well-known names in Texas who are doing their part to pay for this glorified summer vacation.

Texas state Democrats say that they are paying for their trip with campaign coffers and fundraising. They like to say that Texas taxpayers are not paying for it but as long as they are being paid, which they are, then it is taxpayer money. Granted, Texas lawmakers are not paid a lot but nonetheless, it comes from the taxpayers. One Houston CBS News affiliate posed the question to a local Democrat lawmaker who fled with the others.

Our source: Houston Representative Ann Johnson who is in Washington D.C.

“This is not a taxpayer-funded event. This is a Democratic campaign-funded event,” Rep. Johnson said.

She says much of the trip is being funded through the Texas House Democratic Caucus, which has a donation link on its website. She says that’s in addition to individual campaign funds.

“That House Democratic Caucus is paying for this trip. And we are funded by our campaigns. This is a combination of us coming together to recognize that the funds that we have for our campaign are needed to make sure we could keep doing our job for Texas,” Rep. Johnson said.

Representatives of the caucus also tell us the planes were donated, and the hotels are paid for by campaign and caucus accounts.

It will be interesting to see who it is that is donating the private planes. That will eventually come out. There is no shortage of wealthy Democrats in Texas willing to support them. Governor Abbott describes the trip as a “junket trip” paid for by taxpayers. A Houston area woman asked the news station to find out who is paying for the basic expenses of the lawmakers, “Please report on how much $: 1. The bus cost, 2. Hotel room cost, 3. 3 meals a day, 4. Incidentals, 5. Drinks and entertainment.. We need to see how much tax payers are spending for the democrats that have left Texas for Washington. Thank you.”

You can bet that Republicans will make this a big part of their next campaigns. Some of the campaign ads are already writing themselves, especially the inclusion of a case of Miller Lite on one of the chartered buses (one lawmaker says it was already on the bus, provided with other refreshments by the operator), as well as the zillions of selfies the lawmakers are posting on social media (to raise money). Their narcissism has no limits.

The news channel also reports that a donation fund has been set up for Democrats but doesn’t give details on that. One person we do know who is aggressively raising money for the Texas Democrats is their favorite skateboarder, Robert Francis (Beto) O’Rourke. So far he has raised $500,000 on Twitter through his PAC, Powered by People as of yesterday.

You can help cover the expenses for @TexasHDC who broke quorum by donating here: https://t.co/W2e2n1PSga https://t.co/dPpL7PvVRt

— Powered By People (@poweredxpeople) July 14, 2021

There is a pinned tweet at the top of Beto’s personal page that is of Willie Nelson and his wife, Annie, encouraging others to donate. They donated $5,000. Beto says, “A hundred percent of what we raise will go to support them for as long as they need and for whatever it takes to win this fight.”

“Let’s jump in there and fight back now, c’mon!”

BIG thanks to @WillieNelson and Annie Nelson for generously matching the next $5K in donations to support Texas Democrats in their fight for voting rights!

Donate here: https://t.co/UEwanrvhZ0 pic.twitter.com/V2iHlSfSXT

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) July 13, 2021

Annie Nelson obviously got the DNC talking points – it’s voter suppression, you know.

“Voter suppression is a real thing, and if we don’t fight it now, we might not get another chance,” Annie Nelson said in a video posted to O’Rourke’s Twitter account. “Please help, donate, support the Texas Democrats who are helping to support us.”

“Let’s jump in there and fight back now. Come on,” Willie Nelson chimed in.

Other celebrities have also tweeted the donation link, including Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness, Glee’s Jenna Ushkowitz and TV writer Julie Plec.

So, for now, we don’t have any real answers about where the money is coming from other than Beto’s PAC and raiding campaign coffers. These are state lawmakers, though, so how much money can they pool together from their war chests? Frankly, when the great exodus occurred on Monday, Beto’s name was the first to pop into my mind as to who would be behind financing the political stunt.

Senator Cornyn has been tweeting about fellow Texans and their adventure.

Work? You are shirking your responsibility in Austin for a boondoggle in DC. https://t.co/uq9Wx6GNx3

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) July 14, 2021

Fugitive Texas House members attending Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this afternoon. Shook their hand, but said I would prefer them to be in Austin doing their job rather than being in Washington DC watching @SenTedCruz and me doing our jobs.

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) July 14, 2021

And, Cornyn is pointing out that the Texas Senate is still in session, doing its job. The bills passed that give Texans tax relief will die because of the lack of a quorum in the House. Democrats aren’t interested in helping Texans with tax relief any more than they are serious about election integrity.

#NEW The #Texas Senate passed two bills unanimously that would give Texans $250 million in property tax relief in 2022-23 & $500 million in 2024-25. But the bills will die because the House can’t consider them as long as Democrats prevent a quorum in the chamber. @CBSDFW

— Jack Fink (@cbs11jack) July 14, 2021

The Washington Post has an article about how the Democrats organized their trip and the “sacrifices” the brave Texans are making to be in Washington, D.C. (My sarcasm) Interestingly, they admit they have no endgame and that the whole trip was done because Texas Republicans got down to business at the beginning of the special session and were ready to move the election integrity reform legislation. It happened too quickly for them, apparently. Changes were made to the legislation to accommodate Democrats but that wasn’t good enough. They don’t want any legislation on the subject.

The Democrats admit they have received no commitment from Chuch Schumer to move the For the People Act in the Senate. Texas Democrats are figuring it out day-to-day. It’s amateur hour and they are willing useful idiots for the DNC and the far-left wing of the Democrats in the House. They are there to draw attention to voting rights and the legislation that Schumer can’t find enough support for in the Senate to pass it. The Texas Democrats should be embarrassed by their own behavior but they are too self-absorbed.

Turner said the Democrats were still figuring out their plans for their stay in Washington beyond efforts to meet with members of Congress, particularly in the Senate, where Democrats hold exactly enough seats, including Harris’s tie-breaking vote, to pass voting legislation — if they blow up the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to begin debate on legislation.

On their first day in town, the Texans did score a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) — but the exchange left some of them pessimistic about whether their foray to Washington will make a difference. Asked if Schumer or other members of Congress had made new pledges to advance federal voting legislation, state Rep. Senfronia Thompson said: “Not a one.”

“I wish they had,” she added.

A second special session will be called after this first one doesn’t prove to be productive. What’s the plan then for these cowardly Texas Democrats?