House votes to censure Rep. Al Green with Democrats' help
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Rep. Al Green heckles President Trump during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A bipartisan majority of House members voted Thursday to censure Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) after he was escorted out of President Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress for repeated heckling.
Why it matters: Nearly a dozen Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the measure, a clear showing of the party's internal anger over the disruptions that dominated the night.
- The vote was 224-198, with 10 Democrats voting "yes" and two voting "present."
- Green was on the floor for the vote, and he and other Democrats sang "We Shall Overcome" as the censure resolution was read on the floor.
What it says: The two-page resolution, introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) accuses Green of a "breach of proper conduct" for shouting that Trump lacked a mandate to cut Medicaid.
- Green persisted in his heckling even after being warned to stop by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), prompting Johnson to order the House sergeant-at-arms to escort Green out of the chamber.
Zoom in: Swing-district Reps. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) were among the Democrats who voted for the measure.
- The others were moderates from safer districts: Reps. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.).
- Green and Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.) voted present.
The intrigue: Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who told Axios on Wednesday he was undecided on the measure, ended up voting against it.
- Golden had told Axios on Wednesday: "I try to not censure in general — freedom of speech ... but, that being said, there are lines that get crossed."
Zoom out: Green is the first member of Congress censured for heckling a presidential speech to Congress.
- Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) was reprimanded in a bipartisan House vote for shouting "you lie!" during then-President Obama's speech to Congress in 2009. A reprimand is a less severe alternative to a censure.
- Some Democrats complained in the run-up to the vote that Republicans who heckled former President Biden during his State of the Union addresses — particularly Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) — did not face any consequences.
What they're saying: In an interview Thursday with Fox News Digital, Trump said he supported the censure effort and called Green "an embarrassment to Congress but a much bigger embarrassment to the Democrats."
- Green, who has said he plans to try to impeach Trump, told Axios on Wednesday that he was "prepared to suffer the consequences" of his outburst, adding, "Let them bring their sanctions."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
