Just minutes into President Donald Trump’s speech on Tuesday, March 4, Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green stood up and raised his cane in his direction and shouted out. He was given a warning by House Speaker Mike Johnson — a Louisiana Republican — who told Green to sit down and “maintain decorum.”
Green did not heed Johnson’s warning. Johnson then told the sergeant at arms to “restore order” and “remove this gentleman from the chamber.” After he was escorted out, Green explained why he heckled Trump.
“The president indicated that 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,” Green stated, per CBS News.
He also said that he would do it all again.
“I think that on some questions, questions of conscience, you have to be willing to suffer the consequences,” he added. “And I have said I will.”
Green’s punishment isn’t enough for the conservative House Freedom Caucus, though — they want him to be removed from his committee assignment. According to a post on X, the group said it will introduce a resolution to strip him of his seat on the House Financial Services Committee.
If that wasn’t enough, on Thursday, March 6, the House voted to censure Green for disrupting Trump during his first address to Congress since returning to power. In a shocking turn of events, the Democrats helped Republicans in approving a censure resolution.
The final vote was 224 to 198, with 10 Democrats joining Republicans in favor of the resolution. They included: Ami Bera of California, Ed Case of Hawaii, Jim Costa of California, Laura Gillen of New York, Jim Himes of Connecticut, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Tom Suozzi of New York, per CNN.
Two members, included Green, voted present. According to government records, Green has now become the 28th lawmaker in this nation’s history to be censured by the House.
After the vote was completed, Green was ordered to stand in the well of the chamber while the resolution was read aloud. He was soon joined by other Democrats who began singing “we shall overcome.”
Despite being a censored member, Green does not lose any rights or privileges.