House Republicans on Wednesday teed up a vote to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, for disrupting President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.
The House voted along party lines, 209-211, to defeat a Democratic motion to table the censure resolution introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. After the resolution cleared that procedural hurdle, the final vote on whether to censure Green is expected Thursday.
Green defended his actions at the outset of Trump's speech Tuesday night, which included standing in the aisle of the House chamber and waving his cane at Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned Green to sit down or face removal from the chamber, and when Green continued his protest, Johnson ordered the House sergeant at arms to escort him from the chamber.
"If you get in the way, if you’re arrested, then you’ve got to be willing to suffer the consequences," Green told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday. "I did it from my heart, and I will suffer whatever the consequences are. But truthfully, I would do it again."
Green added that he's not upset with House Republican leaders or Newhouse.
"I’m not angry with the speaker; I’m not angry with the officers. I’m not upset with the members who are going to bring the motions or resolution," Green told reporters.
Newhouse is a member of the more centrist-leaning Main Street Caucus and one of the few remaining Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
He told NBC News about his decision to file the resolution: “This isn’t a political stunt. It truly is about standing for the integrity of the institution. I would hope there is bipartisan support for that. We’ve got to turn things down.”
Green told reporters that he stood up to protest Trump's speech when he mentioned that he had a "mandate" for his agenda, which Green said could include cuts to Medicaid and Social Security.
"I didn’t just say you don’t have a mandate. I said you don’t have a mandate to cut Medicaid, and I mentioned that the cap should be lifted higher on Social Security," Green said.
Three Democrats have been censured on the House floor in the last two years: Adam Schiff, of California, Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan and Jamaal Bowman, of New York.
