In a contentious vote on Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives officially censured Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, for disrupting President Donald Trump’s address to Congress earlier in the week. The move comes after Green shouted at Trump, rejecting the president’s claim of a historic electoral mandate.
A Defiant Outburst Leads to Expulsion
During Trump’s March 4 speech, Green stood, shook his cane, and interrupted, declaring, “You have no mandate!” He ignored House Speaker Mike Johnson’s order to take his seat, prompting Johnson to have him forcibly removed from the chamber.
In response, Republicans swiftly pushed through a censure resolution, which passed on a 224-198 vote, mostly along party lines. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who sponsored the resolution, described it as a “necessary but difficult step” to restore order in Congress.
Partisan Divide Over Decorum
While Republicans insisted that Green’s actions breached decorum, Democrats called out hypocrisy, noting that GOP lawmakers had previously heckled President Joe Biden without consequence.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., reminded the House that Republicans had shouted at Biden during his speeches but faced no rebuke or punishment.
House Speaker Johnson, however, defended the censure, tweeting that Green “disgraced the institution of Congress” and that a swift reprimand was “an appropriate remedy.”
Green: ‘I Would Do It Again’
Despite the censure, Green remained unapologetic, saying he spoke out against Trump’s plans to cut Medicaid, which many of his Texas constituents rely on.
“This is a matter of principle, a matter of conscience,” Green said. “There are people suffering in this country because they don’t have health care.”
He concluded defiantly: “On some issues that are matters of conscience, it is better to stand alone than not stand at all.”
Political Fallout and Tensions in Congress
The incident highlights deepening divisions within Congress ahead of the 2025 election cycle. While some Democrats boycotted Trump’s speech entirely, others, including Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., held up signs reading “False” throughout Trump’s address.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who famously ripped up Trump’s speech in 2020, commented: “Everybody has to express themselves in their own way.”
With partisan tensions rising, the censure of Green is expected to further inflame political discourse as both parties prepare for the months ahead.
