Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, was officially reprimanded by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday for interrupting President Donald Trump during his speech to Congress on Tuesday.
During Trump's address to a joint session of Congress, Green raised his cane and shouted, "You don't have a mandate." in response to Trump's claims of electoral support. Despite warnings from House Speaker Mike Johnson to maintain decorum, Green continued his protests.
In response, Speaker of the House Johnson ordered him to be removed from the chamber, US Today reported.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington, introduced the resolution to censure Green, noting that Green's actions violated proper conduct in the House. The resolution passed mostly along party lines, with 10 Democrats joining Republicans in support, while two lawmakers chose to vote "present."
Green defended his actions, stating that his protest was a spontaneous response to protect programs like Medicaid from potential cuts. He said he will accept the consequences of his actions but not regretting for speaking out.
10 Democrats Support Censure
The 10 Democrats joined Republicans in voting to censure Al Green were Ami Bera from California, Ed Case from Hawaii, Jim Costa from California, Laura Gillen from New York, Jim Himes from Connecticut, Chrissy Houlahan from Pennsylvania, Marcy Kaptur from Ohio, Jared Moskowitz from Florida, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington, and Tom Suozzi from New York.
Himes said he voted in favor because he believed in upholding respect for the institution of Congress, CNN reported. He emphasized that lawmakers should conduct themselves with decorum and civility to show the world that the country is serious.
He also stated that while he does not support Trump, he respects the Office of the President.
Censure Becomes More Common as Green May Face Further Consequences
Censure was once rare in the House of Representatives, but it has become more common in recent years. It is a formal way of criticizing a member of Congress but does not come with any direct punishment, unlike expulsion, which is more severe.
It is unclear if Green will face further consequences for his actions. A group of conservative lawmakers plans to propose removing him from his committee assignments. The House Freedom Caucus expects this measure to be brought to a vote next week.
When the House votes in favor of a censure resolution, the person being censured must stand in the front of the House chamber while the resolution is read out loud. According to the U.S. House of Representatives website, this is a public reprimand.
Recent Censures in the House: From Bowman to Rangel
Before Al Green, 27 other representatives had been censured, according to the House website. Some of the most recent cases include Jamaal Bowman from New York, who was censured on Dec. 7, 2023, for pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House office building in September of that year.
Rashida Tlaib from Michigan was censured on Nov. 7, 2023, over her comments regarding the Israel-Hamas war. Adam Schiff from California faced censure on June 21, 2023, for what was described as misleading the public and acting in a way unbefitting an elected official.
Paul Gosar from Arizona was censured on Nov. 17, 2021, after posting an edited video on social media that depicted him attacking President Joe Biden and killing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Before that, Charles B. Rangel from New York was censured on Dec. 2, 2010, for an ethics scandal, making it the first public reprimand in nearly 30 years.
