The House has voted to censure Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green for repeatedly interrupting President Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
Green, 77, shook his cane at Trump, shouting that the president had “no mandate to cut Medicaid.” After being told twice by Speaker Mike Johnson to sit down or be ejected, Green was led out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms, as Republicans cheered.
Green’s actions also contradicted Democratic leaders’ guidance, which instructed their members to attend Trump’s speech without disruption.
The House censured Green by a vote of 224 to 198. Ten Democrats voted with Republicans to condemn the Texas Democrat. Two members, including Green, voted present. Many Democrats, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was censured for her comments on Israel and Gaza last Congress, approached Green and hugged him afterward.
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who famously shouted “you lie” during Barack Obama’s joint address to Congress, walked around the floor and chatted with other Republicans after Green left.
Trump attacked Green in an interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday, saying that he “should be forced to pass an IQ test because he is a low IQ individual and we do not need low IQ individuals in Congress.”
“He should be censured,” the president continued, describing Green as “a fool and a clown.”
“Nobody takes him seriously,” Trump declared. “He is an embarrassment to Congress but a much bigger embarrassment to the Democrats.”
Green is a long-serving Democratic congressman from Houston, Texas, and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. During his first term, Trump advocated for the president’s impeachment.
Following Trump’s speech, several factions of the House GOP, including Texas Republicans and the House Freedom Caucus, immediately pushed to censure Green.
Green’s criticism comes as Democrats continue to disagree on how to express their dissatisfaction with Trump. Five months after Trump was re-elected and Republicans reclaimed the Senate and held the House, Democratic advocacy groups are urging their party’s elected officials to mount a more robust opposition to Trump.
Other Democratic elected officials expressed their dissatisfaction during Trump’s joint address in various ways. Representatives Maxwell Frost of Florida, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Maxine Dexter, and Andrea Salinas of Oregon all walked out during Trump’s address.
Congresswoman Sarah McBride of Delaware told The Independent that “the Republicans would rather talk about decorum than the fact that they are trying to gut health care for one in two kids in this country.”
Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari stated, “We demonstrated a very strong opposition. The fact that Democrats from every spectrum and district sat silently listening to the president and disregarding the lies he was telling demonstrates a very strong condemnation; of course, we chose to react differently.
Green, who was elected to the House in 2004 to represent the Ninth Congressional District, describes himself as a “veteran civil rights advocate” on his website, and his X page shows a video of him being detained outside the Capitol in August 2021. He used the hashtags “#GoodTrouble” and “#NecessaryTrouble” to commemorate the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, who died in 2020.
Green was also detained in 2012, along with actor George Clooney and other lawmakers, outside Sudan’s embassy in Washington, while protesting the country’s then-president during a civil war.
Green anticipated that his actions would result in congressional censure. On Wednesday, he stated that he “will suffer the consequences.”
“What I did came from my heart. People are suffering. And I was discussing Medicaid. I did not simply say you do not have a mandate. “I said you do not have a mandate to cut Medicaid,” he continued.
“Last night, I advocated for those who require Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Democrats will never give up the fight to ensure that every American lives a safe, healthy, and financially secure life. “#ISaidWhatISaid,” he wrote on X Wednesday night.
Green’s account stated shortly after 7 a.m. on Thursday: “During the 10:00 hour ET, Congressman Al Green will be censured this morning for standing up to President Trump.”
Green was born in New Orleans and focused his activism on civil rights, voting rights, and poverty alleviation. Going against Democratic leadership, Green was the first lawmaker to propose impeachment charges against Trump during his first term. Green went on to vote for Trump’s impeachment in 2019 and 2021.
According to his website, he attended Florida A&M University, Howard University, and the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama but did not complete his undergraduate studies. He went on to earn a doctorate from Houston’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1973 before starting his own law firm.
Green is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the NAACP, where he served as a leader for nearly ten years.
The House has voted to censure Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green for repeatedly interrupting President Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
Green, 77, shook his cane at Trump, shouting that the president had “no mandate to cut Medicaid.” After being told twice by Speaker Mike Johnson to sit down or be ejected, Green was led out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms, as Republicans cheered.
Green’s actions also contradicted Democratic leaders’ guidance, which instructed their members to attend Trump’s speech without disruption.
The House censured Green by a vote of 224 to 198. Ten Democrats voted with Republicans to condemn the Texas Democrat. Two members, including Green, voted present. Many Democrats, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was censured for her comments on Israel and Gaza last Congress, approached Green and hugged him afterward.
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who famously shouted “you lie” during Barack Obama’s joint address to Congress, walked around the floor and chatted with other Republicans after Green left.
Trump attacked Green in an interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday, saying that he “should be forced to pass an IQ test because he is a low IQ individual and we do not need low IQ individuals in Congress.”
“He should be censured,” the president continued, describing Green as “a fool and a clown.”
“Nobody takes him seriously,” Trump declared. “He is an embarrassment to Congress but a much bigger embarrassment to the Democrats.”
Green is a long-serving Democratic congressman from Houston, Texas, and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. During his first term, Trump advocated for the president’s impeachment.
Following Trump’s speech, several factions of the House GOP, including Texas Republicans and the House Freedom Caucus, immediately pushed to censure Green.
Green’s criticism comes as Democrats continue to disagree on how to express their dissatisfaction with Trump. Five months after Trump was re-elected and Republicans reclaimed the Senate and held the House, Democratic advocacy groups are urging their party’s elected officials to mount a more robust opposition to Trump.
Other Democratic elected officials expressed their dissatisfaction during Trump’s joint address in various ways. Representatives Maxwell Frost of Florida, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Maxine Dexter, and Andrea Salinas of Oregon all walked out during Trump’s address.
Congresswoman Sarah McBride of Delaware told The Independent that “the Republicans would rather talk about decorum than the fact that they are trying to gut health care for one in two kids in this country.”
Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari stated, “We demonstrated a very strong opposition. The fact that Democrats from every spectrum and district sat silently listening to the president and disregarding the lies he was telling demonstrates a very strong condemnation; of course, we chose to react differently.
Green, who was elected to the House in 2004 to represent the Ninth Congressional District, describes himself as a “veteran civil rights advocate” on his website, and his X page shows a video of him being detained outside the Capitol in August 2021. He used the hashtags “#GoodTrouble” and “#NecessaryTrouble” to commemorate the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, who died in 2020.
Green was also detained in 2012, along with actor George Clooney and other lawmakers, outside Sudan’s embassy in Washington, while protesting the country’s then-president during a civil war.
Green anticipated that his actions would result in congressional censure. On Wednesday, he stated that he “will suffer the consequences.”
“What I did came from my heart. People are suffering. And I was discussing Medicaid. I did not simply say you do not have a mandate. “I said you do not have a mandate to cut Medicaid,” he continued.
“Last night, I advocated for those who require Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Democrats will never give up the fight to ensure that every American lives a safe, healthy, and financially secure life. “#ISaidWhatISaid,” he wrote on X Wednesday night.
Green’s account stated shortly after 7 a.m. on Thursday: “During the 10:00 hour ET, Congressman Al Green will be censured this morning for standing up to President Trump.”
Green was born in New Orleans and focused his activism on civil rights, voting rights, and poverty alleviation. Going against Democratic leadership, Green was the first lawmaker to propose impeachment charges against Trump during his first term. Green went on to vote for Trump’s impeachment in 2019 and 2021.
According to his website, he attended Florida A&M University, Howard University, and the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama but did not complete his undergraduate studies. He went on to earn a doctorate from Houston’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1973 before starting his own law firm.
Green is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the NAACP, where he served as a leader for nearly ten years.
