Democratic Rep. Al Green may face a censure by the House after he was removed for disrupting President Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday night.
House Speaker Mike Johnson instructed the House sergeant at arms to eject Green after he stood up and interjected as Trump spoke to lawmakers.
Green stood and shouted, “You have no mandate!” Republicans, sitting on the other side of the room, drowned Green’s protests out, chanting “USA! USA!”
Johnson asked the room to sit down and stay quiet, but Green refused. Johnson then instructed the sergeant at arms to remove Green from the room for interrupting the speech and, as Green exited, Republicans stood up again and cheered, shouting, “Get out!”
“You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” Green shouted at Trump before he was escorted out of the chamber.
Johnson later told reporters that Green "should be censured" for interrupting Trump's address to Congress. To "censure" a lawmaker is a formal punishment members of Congress can give to their colleagues for disorderly behavior. The full House would have to vote on whether Green should be censured.
Fox News reported Wednesday morning that Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas had written a censure resolution against Green that was circulating among Republican lawmakers. Politico also reported Wednesday that members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus were planning to introduce a censure resolution in response to the outburst.
Green, 77, is a representative from Texas's Ninth Congressional District and has served in Congress since 2005. He has helped lead impeachment efforts against Trump since 2017 and was one of the first members of Congress to propose articles of impeachment against Trump during his first administration, specifically in connection to Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
In late January, Green announced to the House his plans to introduce new articles of impeachment against Trump over the war in Gaza.
"The movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring Articles of Impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done," Green said. "Ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the president of the United States, the most powerful person in the world.”
Before Congress, Green was a civil rights attorney and the president of the Houston NAACP for nearly a decade.
Green wasn't the only Democratic lawmaker who shouted out during Trump's speech. Many others interjected "Not true!" or "Those are lies!" at the president. California Rep. Gil Cisneros reportedly shouted, "Talk about the $400 million to Tesla!" as multiple representatives held up protest signs that said "Musk steals."
Several Democrats exited the chamber throughout Trump's speech, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Reps. Veronica Escobar, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal and Jamie Raskin. Some of the Democrats leaving were protesting Trump's commentary, reportedly wearing shirts with "resist" printed on the back.
There was one moment during Trump’s speech that drew more applause from Democrats than Republicans: Trump’s acknowledgment of the United States' financial aid for Ukraine.
