The House of Representatives censured Democratic member Al Green of Texas today for his unhinged outburst during President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.
Green’s behavior led House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to remove him from the House floor.
Amazingly, 10 Democrats came to their senses today and voted for the resolution, but a gaggle of the far-left crew surrounded Green in the well in “solidarity” and warbled an old “civil rights” tune.
To his credit, Green confessed that Johnson did the right thing, but his troubles aren’t over with the censure. Next week, Republicans might well remove him from his committee. Others who misbehaved during Trump’s speech might face the same punishment.
Tuesday’s Speech
Green landed in hot water after he made a fool of himself just minutes after Trump began his oration. Pointing his cane at Trump, he began shouting that Trump had “no mandate” to cut Medicaid, the unconstitutional program to provide free medical care for the poor.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Green that he and other members “are engaging in willful and continuing breach of decorum, and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant at arms to restore order to the joint session.”
The mulish Green didn’t listen. The conniption continued.
Thus did Johnson order the sergeant at arms to remove the recalcitrant Green from the proceedings.
The next day, GOP Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington introduced his censure resolution, which required Green to present himself in the well of the House floor to be punished.
“Rep. Al Green’s shameful and egregious behavior during President Trump’s Joint Address disgraced the institution of Congress and the constituents he serves,” Johnson wrote on X before the vote:
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.
The Vote
The vote to censure was 224-198, with two members voting present.
The prudent Democrats who voted to censure Green were:
- Ed Case of Hawaii;
- Marcy Kaptur of Ohio;
- Jim Himes of Connecticut;
- Jared Moskowitz of Florida;
- Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania;
- Ami Bera and Jim Costa of California;
- Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington; and
- Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi of New York.
When Green appeared in the well, fellow-traveling, far-left extremists gathered around and began singing We Shall Overcome, somehow likening their truculence to a “civil rights” march.
Two members of the kooky Squad, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and radical Islamist terror apologist Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, shouted at Republicans, ABC News reported. “Shame on you!” the bald-headed Pressley fumed.
Green’s Response
Green spoke to the House after he was censured.
“I rise a proud, liberated Democrat — unbought, unbossed, and unafraid,” Green said.
He said he isn’t “upset” with Johnson or those who escorted him from the floor. “I appreciate them,” Green said. “They were very kind to me” and said “kind words to me.”
Green read the censure resolution and confessed that Johnson did what he was supposed to do because he, Green, did indeed disrupt Trump’s speech.
“I did so because the president indicated that he had a mandate. And I wanted him to know that he didn’t have a mandate to cut Medicaid,” Green said:
I did this because Medicaid is the only insurance many people have in this country. I am blessed. As I stand here now, there’s a physician waiting if something should happen. … I have the best health care in the world. There are other people who have less than I. I would have them have what I have. … I surely will not stand by and see them lose what little they do have.
Then again, Green said, Democrats had to continue the “incivility.”
“We have to not allow [Trump’s] incivility, his requirement of fealty to prevent us from taking the necessary actions to protect liberty and justice for all, to protect government of the people, by the people, for the people,” he said:
We have to do what is necessary. I believe we have to engage in a level of positive, righteous incivility.
Why trying to reform a government program is “incivility” is unclear.
Other “Incivility”
Republicans aren’t finished with Green. Next week, he might himself without a single committee assignment.
“The House Freedom Caucus is filing a resolution to strip disruptive and disrespectful Democrat Rep. Al Green from his committee assignments and we expect @SpeakerJohnson to bring it to the House floor for a vote next week,” the House Freedom Caucus announced on X:
Green was censured in a bipartisan vote but he needs real consequences to demonstrate that no one gets to disrupt the People’s business in lame attempts to derail President Trump’s agenda.
Green won’t be the first Democrat to lose one or more committee assignments. The House booted radical Somali refugee Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee because of “anti-Semitic” remarks.
And Green isn’t only the Democrat to misbehave in a joint session.
Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy of President Trump’s speech while he was speaking on February 4, 2020.
