Republicans plan to censure Democrat Al Green for interrupting Trump's speech

Republicans have pushed forward with a plan to punish Texas Democrat Al Green for interrupting President Donald Trump's speech to Congress, as reported by theBBC. Green stood up, waved his cane, and heckled Trump during the president's address on Tuesday, leading to his removal from the chamber. Despite efforts from his fellow Democrats to stop the censure vote, claiming his actions were a legitimate form of protest, they couldn't overcome the Republicans' thin majority, with the vote ending 209-211-1.

Green himself voted "present" and later said his protest was worth it to show that some people would stand up to Trump, according to the BBC's coverage of the incident. Republican congressman Dan Newhouse of Washington introduced the censure resolution, which would formally reprimand Green for breaking House rules on proper behavior.

House Speaker Mike Johnson strongly condemned Green's behavior, calling it "shameful and egregious" in a post on social media platform X, according toFox News, which detailed the speaker's response to the incident. Johnson, who personally removed Green from the House chamber, accused the lawmaker of deliberately breaking House rules and "disgracing the institution of Congress." 

Fox News reported that Johnson urged Democrats to join Republicans in voting for the censure resolution, which survived Democrats' attempts to table it and was headed for a full House vote on Thursday. Green seemed prepared for the consequences, telling the press after his expulsion that he would be "willing to suffer whatever punishment" resulted from his actions, even tweeting a reminder to his followers about the upcoming censure vote, as Fox News documented.

During the speech, as Fox News described, Green began shouting after President Trump claimed the 2024 election was "a mandate like has not been seen in many decades." Despite receiving a warning from Speaker Johnson to take his seat, Green continued protesting, which led to the Sergeant at Arms removing him from the room. Fox News reported that Green later explained his motivation, saying, "The president said he had a mandate, and I was making it clear to the president that he has no mandate to cut Medicaid." 

While Green was the only Democrat to actively disrupt the speech, Fox News noted that other Democrats held up signs or walked out early. If passed, the censure resolution against Green would serve as a formal condemnation but carry no other consequences, similar to previous censures of lawmakers like former Representatives Adam Schiff and Jamaal Bowman, and current Representative Rashida Tlaib.