A bipartisan majority of House members voted Thursday to censure Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) after he was removed from President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress for repeatedly heckling the president.
Nearly a dozen Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the censure resolution, revealing internal party frustration over the disruptions that overshadowed the night. The final vote was 224-198, with 10 Democrats voting in favor and two choosing to vote “present.” Green was on the House floor for the vote, and as the resolution was read aloud, he and several Democratic colleagues sang “We Shall Overcome” in protest.
The two-page resolution, introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), accused Green of a “breach of proper conduct” for shouting that Trump lacked a mandate to cut Medicaid. Green continued to heckle the president even after repeated warnings from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), leading Johnson to direct the House sergeant-at-arms to escort Green from the chamber.
Among the Democrats who voted in favor of the censure were several from swing districts, including Reps. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.). Others who supported the measure were moderates from safer districts, such as 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.”
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who had told Axios the day before that he was undecided on the measure, ultimately voted against it. Golden stated that while he generally opposes censorship and supports freedom of speech, there are “lines that get crossed” in certain situations.
Green became the first member of Congress to be censured for heckling a president during an address to Congress. In contrast, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) was reprimanded—but not censured—after shouting “you lie!” during then-President Obama’s speech in 2009. A reprimand is considered a less severe form of discipline than censure.
Some Democrats voiced frustration ahead of the vote, pointing out that Republican lawmakers, such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), repeatedly heckled former President Biden during his State of the Union addresses without facing any consequences. The move to censure Green has deepened partisan tensions, with Democrats arguing that the punishment was politically motivated and Republicans maintaining that it was necessary to uphold decorum in Congress.