10 House Dems vote to censure Al Green
The Texas Democrat received the Republican-sponsored rebuke following his removal from the House chamber for repeatedly interrupting President Trump’s speech earlier this week.
The House moved to formally rebuke Rep. Al Green after the Texas Democrat was removed from the House chamber during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday after interrupting the speech.
The final vote was 224–198 with 10 Democrats joining all Republicans supporting the measure.
The 10 Dem yes votes: Rep. Ami Bera (Calif.), Ed Case (Hawaii), Jim Costa (Calif.), Laura Gillen (N.Y.), Jim Himes (Conn.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) and Tom Suozzi (N.Y.)
Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.) and Green voted present.
Following the vote, members joined Green in the well of the chamber to sing “We Shall Overcome.”
House Democrats attempted to block Rep. Dan Newhouse’s (R-Wash.) censure resolution from being debated and finally voted on.
The effort was defeated in a 209–211 party-line vote. FWIW, Green voted present.
Allow me to explain: The adoption of congressional censure resolutions used to come a dime a dozen.
In less-polarized times, they were reserved for the most egregious misconduct that warranted disciplinary action just short of expulsion.
However, in recent years, censure has become a tool for members to register disapproval of political opponents rather than just a tool for policing ethical misconduct.
What they’re saying: “Republicans are playing political and partisan games with their censure resolution because they are on the run,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told me after the vote. “And folks are taking notice all across the country.”
Jeffries added that the House Democratic leadership didn’t formally whip against the resolution: “People made a decision based on what they view to be the right thing to do connected to their district.”
Green maintained that he understood his interruption would come with consequences.
“I’ll accept the punishment,” he said. “It’s worth it to let people know that there’s some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called Green’s behavior “shameful” and “egregious.”
“Any Democrat who is concerned about regaining the trust and respect of the American people should join House Republicans in this effort.”
In the know: Unlike expulsion, which requires a two-thirds vote, a censure only needs a simple majority to pass. It does not remove a member from office or strip them of their ability to vote and participate in legislative activities.
How we got here: Presidential speeches before joint sessions of Congress have become defined by partisan expressions of displeasure.
2009: Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) interrupted Barack Obama by shouting, “You lie!” as the former president discussed health care reform. This was one of the first serious breaches of congressional decorum in modern history. See for yourself
2020: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tore her copy of President Trump’s State of the Union into pieces after the address, describing it as “such a dirty speech.” See for yourself
2022: Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) interrupted former President Joe Biden’s State of the Union while he was discussing veterans and his late son, Beau. “You put them there—13 of them,” she shouted about the 13 U.S. service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal. See for yourself
2024: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) repeatedly interrupted President Biden during his remarks on the Mexican border crisis. At one point, she held up a sign reading, “Say her name, Laken Riley,” referring to a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia who an undocumented immigrant killed. See for yourself
Neither Greene nor Boebert faced formal censure or removal from the chamber despite their disruptions. Wilson apologized to the White House, and the House later passed a resolution formally rebuking him for the outburst in a largely party-line vote.
Not so fast: Democrats have framed the censure vote as a distraction from the Republican Party’s budget proposal that calls for deep cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance.
“Let’s not talk about decorum when the plot is exposed and reiterated every single day: Take people’s health care, you take our veterans’ benefits, you take funding for our public schools,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Wednesday. “And you do it all, all of it, to give a tax cut to the very wealthiest people who won’t even notice it but whose greed knows no bounds.”
By the numbers: 28 members of Congress have been censured since 1832.
Looking ahead: Following his removal, Green announced he was drafting new articles of impeachment against President Trump.
“This president is unfit,” Green, who introduced articles of impeachment on multiple occasions. “He should not hold the office.”
Read all about it: The two-page censure resolution