U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) escorted out after shouting during U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The U.S. House of Representatives censured Texas Democrat Al Green on Thursday (March 6, 2025) after he was thrown out of the chamber for repeatedly interrupting President Donald Trump’s address to Congress.
Mr. Green, 77, stood up and waved his cane as he heckled the Republican leader during Tuesday’s (March 4, 2025) speech, refusing to sit down despite being warned that he risked removal.
Republican congressman Dan Newhouse — a moderate who voted to impeach Mr. Trump in 2021 — had introduced the resolution to subject Mr. Green to a formal reprimand in front of his colleagues.
“Decorum and order are the institutional grounds for the way we do business in the United States Congress, and the sheer disregard for that standard during U.S. President Trump’s address by the gentleman from Texas is unacceptable,” Newhouse said in a statement.
Mr. Green’s disruption was just one part of a broader Democratic protest during the address, with lawmakers walking out, yelling at Trump and brandishing signs.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of being the “party of insanity and hate,” although she did not acknowledge the Republicans’ own past transgressions during addresses by Democratic presidents.
There were few statements of unequivocal support for Mr. Green from his colleagues. Although the Democrats tried unsuccessfully to get the censure vote canceled, a handful voted for it when it cam to the floor.
For critics of the Democratic response to Trump’s first weeks in office, the episode demonstrated the party’s lack of discipline and a clear strategy to oppose his plans to massively shrink federal spending.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman called Tuesday’s (March 4, 2025) protests a “sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance.”
“It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to — and it may not be the winning message,” he posted on X.
Censure votes used to be rare, but have been used by both parties more frequently in recent years.
The resolution itself — a formal reprimand by a lawmaker’s peers — is seen as the punishment, and does not entail any further denial of privileges.
Mr. Green and some of his colleagues sang civil rights gospel anthem “We Shall Overcome” as House Speaker Mike Johnson read out the censure resolution.
Before the vote, Mr. Green told reporters he was happy to “suffer the consequences” of his actions, which he said were to highlight Republican plans to cut health insurance programs and welfare.
“I stood up for those who need Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security,” he posted on X.
“Democrats will never abandon the fight to make sure every American has a safe, healthy, and financially secure life.”
Published – March 06, 2025 09:50 pm IST
