In a significant move by the US Congress, Texas Democrat Al Green has been censured following his disruption of President Donald Trump's address to the nation. The incident occurred on Tuesday when Green was ejected from the House chamber after heckling and waving his cane at the President during a joint session of Congress. A formal statement of disapproval, known as censure, requires a majority vote in the House to pass and does not remove a member from Congress.
The resolution to censure Green was introduced by Congressman Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington. It passed with a vote of 224 to 198, with ten Democrats siding with Republicans. These Democrats were members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. The resolution stated that Green's actions were "a breach of proper conduct."
Al Green, a known critic of President Trump, has previously called for the impeachment of the President during his first term. During Trump's address, Green interrupted by shouting, "Mr President, you don't have a mandate!" House Speaker Mike Johnson instructed Green to maintain decorum and take his seat, but Green refused, leading to his removal from the chamber.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed regret over the situation:
"This is a really sad day for our institution," he stated, emphasizing the importance of maintaining dignity within the chamber.
Green was the first member of Congress to be removed in the middle of a presidential address. After the resolution was passed, Green stood in the well of the House chamber while it was read aloud. Despite the censure, Green remains defiant. He took to social media platform X to express his sentiments:
"I accept the consequences of my actions, but I refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice," Green wrote.
Rep Jim Himes from Connecticut, who supported the measure, cited consistency in his actions as he had previously voted to censure a Republican for heckling Barack Obama in 2009. He remarked:
"At the end of the day, I think we need to stand up for the things that we believe regardless of which party benefits or loses."
The censure marks Green as one of twenty-eight members in total who have been censured in the history of the House. Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries offered a critical perspective on the proceedings:
"Republicans are playing political and partisan games with their censure resolutions, because they are on the run," he noted, describing the resolution as "not worth the piece of paper that it was written on."
Despite the censure, Green remains steadfast in his opposition to President Trump, indicating his ongoing commitment to challenging the administration. He asserted:
"We cannot allow him to just continue to step on us like that," and confirmed he "absolutely" planned to file articles of impeachment against Trump.
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