WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The House voted on Thursday morning to censure Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) following his outburst during President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress earlier this week. Rep. Green was removed from the chamber on Tuesday night after being asked to stop disrupting the president’s speech.
The censure resolution passed in a 224-198 vote with two members voting present, including Green. Ten Democrats joined Republicans in favor of the resolution.
Green was surrounded by fellow Democrats in the well of the House floor as the censure resolution was read out loud. Several Democratic House members began singing “We Shall Overcome” before House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called for order.
Following the vote, Green told Nexstar he was participating in “peaceful protest” to protect Medicaid on Tuesday night.
“If the circumstances presented themselves again, I would do it again because this is a righteous cause. It’s about health care for people in the richest country in the world who won’t have it if we don’t have Medicaid for them,” he said.
Green said he was prepared to accept the consequences for his actions and that he wanted to send a message to President Trump.
“Today when we sang ‘We Shall Overcome’ that was our incivility, saying to the president we are not going to continue to allow you to use incivility against our civility,” he said.
What does it mean if a member is censured?
A censure is a formal statement of disapproval in the form of a resolution that is adopted by majority vote. It is used to punish a member for “disorderly behavior.”
A censure vote in the House does not expel a member from Congress or cause them to lose any rights or privileges. Lawmakers who are censured are usually asked to stand in the well of the House as the censure resolution against them is read aloud.
It has long been viewed as a punishment of last resort. However, censure resolutions have become more common in recent years.
What other members of the House have been censured in recent years?
In November 2023, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) was censured for her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war.
In June 2023, Republicans voted to censure then-Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for comments he made about investigations into then-President Trump’s ties to Russia.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was censured by the House when it was under Democratic control in 2021. The vote came after Rep. Gosar tweeted an animated video that depicted him striking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) with a sword.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Fox 8 News Channel
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