House Republicans are taking steps to punish Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green for disrupting President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
Washington state Republican Rep. Daniel Newhouse introduced a censure resolution against Green on Wednesday. Green was removed from the House after standing up and shouting at Trump repeatedly during Tuesday night’s address.
Newhouse said on the floor of the House that he was seeking the rare punishment against Green for his “numerous interruptions.”
“This was beyond the pale. It went on and on, disrupting the entire evening so I felt it had to be responded to,” said Newhouse, according to CNN.
“We have to uphold the expectations of decorum here, or else, what are we? We have nothing other than just a club that everybody comes and yells at each other,” he added.
Newhouse is viewed as a centrist in the Republican Party who was criticized for voting to impeach Trump in 2021 and who won a tight election against a fellow member of the GOP in the last election.
While Newhouse’s measure appears to have the support of GOP leadership, it also angered some conservatives in the lower chamber who had been speaking to legislative counsel about a resolution of their own, according to CNN. In private, they said Newhouse was attempting to avoid a challenger from his right.
Newhouse rejected the notion that he was trying to improve his support with Trump supporters when speaking to reporters.
“This is about the House of Representatives, Congress and respecting the rules of decorum that we have. You know, it could be any president, any member. This is bigger than any particular relationship,” said Newhouse.
On Wednesday, Green acknowledged that he “will suffer the consequences.”
“What I did was from my heart. People are suffering. And I was talking about Medicaid. I didn’t just say you don’t have a mandate. I said you don’t have a mandate to cut Medicaid,” he added.
Newhouse noted that there were “many” Republicans wanting to put their name on the resolution.
“I was the first to approach the speaker about this issue. So, here I am,” he said, according to CNN.
Earlier on Wednesday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN that the “overwhelming majority” of Democrats took on the address seriously. Jeffries was asked about the GOP looking to censure Green and whether that’s appropriate, he said, “I haven’t had that conversation with anyone.”
Some centrist Democrats are now in the uneasy position of possibly having to defend a member of their own party yelling at the president during his speech. However, other Democrats shouted at Trump from their seats, while some walked out of the chamber, or held up signs.
