House Censures Rep. Al Green After Disruption of Trump’s Congressional Address
Washington D.C. – The United States House of Representatives has formally censured Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, following a contentious incident during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening. The censure vote, a formal rebuke, came after Green was removed from the House chamber for disrupting the President’s speech. Ten Democrats joined Republican colleagues in supporting the measure, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the bipartisan concern over decorum within the legislative body.
Representative Green himself voted "present" on the censure resolution, along with Representative Shomari Figures, a first-term Democrat from Alabama. The act of voting "present" indicates neither support nor opposition to the measure.
The censure resolution was brought forth in response to Green’s actions during Trump’s address. As the President began to speak and touted Republican victories in the House, Senate, and White House, Green reportedly shouted, "You have no mandate!" Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, repeatedly warned Green to cease his interruptions. However, when Green continued to disrupt the proceedings, Johnson ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove him from the chamber.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Republican from Minnesota, issued a statement criticizing Green’s behavior and linking it to broader divisions within the Democratic Party. "Al Green’s childish outburst exposed the chaos and dysfunction within the Democrat party since President Trump’s overwhelming win in November and his success in office thus far," Emmer said. He further asserted, "It is not surprising 198 Democrats refused to support Green’s censure given their history of radical, inflammatory rhetoric fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome."
Following the censure vote, a remarkable scene unfolded on the House floor. Before the formal censure could be read aloud to Green, a group of Democratic representatives gathered around the Texas Democrat and began singing the civil rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome." The impromptu demonstration disrupted the House proceedings, prompting Speaker Johnson to call a recess in an attempt to restore order. He was reportedly unable to quell the demonstration through multiple attempts.
The atmosphere on the House floor remained charged after the recess. Several Democrats, including Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, a member of the "Squad," engaged in heated exchanges with Republican lawmakers, including Representative Ryan MacKenzie of Pennsylvania.
The ten Democrats who voted in favor of censuring Green were Representatives Ami Bera of California, Ed Case of Hawaii, Jim Costa of California, Laura Gillen of New York, Jim Himes of Connecticut, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Tom Suozzi of New York. Their decision to cross party lines and support the censure resolution highlights the seriousness with which they viewed Green’s actions and the importance of maintaining decorum in the House.
In the wake of the incident, Republicans swiftly introduced competing resolutions to censure Green. Within hours of the disruption, three separate censure texts were being drafted. Representative Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington, reportedly contacted Speaker Johnson immediately after Trump’s speech concluded to propose a censure resolution. Simultaneously, the House Freedom Caucus aimed to censure any Democrats who protested Trump’s address, and Representative Troy Nehls, a Republican from Texas, crafted his own censure resolution against Green, securing more than 30 co-sponsors from the House GOP.
Representative Newhouse ultimately took the lead, deeming his resolution "privileged," a procedural maneuver that forced House leaders to bring the bill to a vote within two legislative days. "President Trump’s address to Congress was not a debate or a forum; he was invited by the speaker to outline his agenda for the American people," Newhouse stated after the vote. "The actions by my colleague from Texas broke the rules of decorum in the House, and he must be held accountable."
An attempt by House Democrats to block the resolution from coming to a vote failed. As previously mentioned, Green himself voted "present" on the resolution.
Speaker Johnson publicly challenged Democrats to vote in favor of the censure, stating, "Despite my repeated warnings, he refused to cease his antics, and I was forced to remove him from the chamber. He deliberately violated House rules, and an expeditious vote of censure is an appropriate remedy. Any Democrat who is concerned about regaining the trust and respect of the American people should join House Republicans in this effort."
Green, before the vote, shook Newhouse’s hand then defended his actions during the debate on his own censure. "I heard the speaker when he said that I should cease. I did not, and I did not with intentionality. It was not done out of a burst of emotion," Green explained. "I think that on some questions, questions of conscience, you have to be willing to suffer the consequences. And I have said I will. I will suffer whatever the consequences are, because I don’t believe that in the richest country in the world, people should be without good healthcare."
The censure of Representative Green joins a list of other recent lawmakers who have faced similar disciplinary action in the House, including Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, former Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York, and now-Senator Adam Schiff of California.
