House Chaos Erupts as 10 Democrats Join GOP to Censure Al Green

The House of Representatives descended into chaos after lawmakers voted to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, for his dramatic disruption during President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Green’s censure, a formal rebuke, passed with the support of 10 moderate Democrats who joined Republicans in the vote.

The Texas Democrat had shouted, "You have no mandate!" at Trump as the president highlighted Republican victories. The outburst led Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to have Green removed by the U.S. Sergeant-at-Arms. Green's vote on his own censure? A noncommittal "present." Seems like even he couldn’t decide how to handle his own predicament.

The censure vote wasn’t without its theatrics. Before the formal resolution could be read out, Democrats surrounded Green and broke into a rendition of "We Shall Overcome." The spectacle forced Speaker Johnson to call a recess, as his repeated attempts to restore order fell flat. Honestly, it felt less like Congress and more like an unruly high school assembly.

In the aftermath, decorum continued to unravel, with fiery exchanges between Democrats like Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Republicans, including freshman Rep. Ryan MacKenzie, R-Pa. The air was thick with tension, and probably a fair bit of frustration.

The 10 Democrats who sided with Republicans in the censure vote included Reps. Ami Bera, D-Calif.; Ed Case, D-Hawaii; and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., among others. Their votes stood in stark contrast to the 198 Democrats who opposed the measure, a division that highlighted the growing rift within the party.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., spearheaded the censure resolution, fast-tracking it through procedural maneuvers. He justified the move by stating, "President Trump’s address to Congress was not a debate or a forum; he was invited by the Speaker to outline his agenda for the American people. The actions by my colleague from Texas broke the rules of decorum in the House, and he must be held accountable." Republicans also introduced competing resolutions to censure Green, with Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, gathering over 30 co-sponsors for his own version.

Green, for his part, remained defiant. "I think that on some questions, questions of conscience, you have to be willing to suffer the consequences," he said. "I will suffer whatever the consequences are, because I don't believe that in the richest country in the world, people should be without good healthcare." While his stance on healthcare might resonate with some, his methods certainly ignited a firestorm.

This isn’t the first time the House has used censure as a disciplinary tool. Recent recipients of the rebuke include Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and now-Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. But Green’s dramatic exit from Trump’s speech and the subsequent fallout took this one to a whole new—and chaotic—level.