In Bipartisan Vote, House Censures Congressman Who Heckled Trump During Address to Congress

The House has voted to censure the Democratic lawmaker who heckled President Trump during his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Congressman Al Green says if given the opportunity, he would shout down the president again to say he should not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. The House voted 224–198 to censure Mr. Green, making him just the 28th House member in American history to receive the mark by his colleagues. The vote was bipartisan, with ten Democrats voting for censure and two Democrats — including Mr. Green himself — voting “present.”After the vote, Mr. Green stood in the well of the House to have the censure resolution read by Speaker Johnson. Dozens of his colleagues stood beside him as the resolution was read. Mr. Green says that, if given the chance, he would do it all over again. He explained in a floor speech during a debate of the censure that he yelled at the president because congressional Republicans are considering a new budget that could cut as much as $880 billion from Medicaid, according to a budget blueprint passed by the House last week. “The president indicated he had a mandate. I said to the president: ‘You do not have a mandate to cut Medicaid.’ I have constituents who need Medicaid. They will suffer and some will die if they don’t get Medicaid. I heard the speaker when he said that I should cease. I did not, and I did not with intentionality. It was not done out of a burst of emotion,” Mr. Green said from the House floor on Wednesday evening. “I was emotional about it, but I did it with intentionality.”Just before he took to the podium to speak, the Texas Democrat walked over to the Republican sponsor of the censure resolution, Congressman Dan Newhouse, to shake his hand and exchange words. “I will tell you: I appreciate you,” Mr. Green said from the floor during his speech, gesturing toward Mr. Newhouse. “No anger. The officers who escorted me out — they were kind to me. I don’t blame the speaker for anything. Friends, I would do it again. I have to be candid with you.”The president was just minutes into his speech on Tuesday when Mr. Green stood and waved his cane at Mr. Trump, yelling about how he should not cut the Medicaid program, which drew jeers from the Republican side of the aisle. When Mr. Green did not cease his yelling, Mr. Johnson interrupted the president to slam down his gavel, urging Mr. Green to sit down. “That’s your warning,” Mr. Johnson said at first. When the Democratic congressman did not stop, Mr. Johnson grew angrier, saying: “Mr. Green, take your seat. Take your seat, sir. Take your seat!”“The Representative from Texas disrupted the proceedings of the joint address” in “breach of proper conduct,” the censure resolution states.

In Bipartisan Vote, House Censures Congressman Who Heckled Trump During Address to Congress

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