House lawmakers voted on Thursday to formally censure Texas Democrat Rep. Al Green after he repeatedly interrupted President Trump during his annual address to Congress.
In a decision that passed 224-198, ten Democrats sided with 214 Republicans to endorse a resolution condemning the 77-year-old congressman for his disruptive actions at the high-profile event.
By voting “present” on the measure, Green became the 28th legislator in the nation’s history to face a censure.

Among the Democrats who supported the resolution were Representatives Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi from Long Island, as well as Ami Bera from California, Ed Case of Hawaii, Jim Costa of California, Jim Himes from Connecticut, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Marcy Kaptur from Ohio, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington state.
Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.) also chose to vote “present” alongside Green.
Following the vote, several Democratic colleagues gathered around Green in the well of the House chamber as he received the official reprimand. The group defiantly sang “We Shall Overcome” and ignored Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) orders to disperse while he read the censure aloud.
Shortly thereafter, Johnson announced a recess in the House.
Despite the censure, Green will retain all of his privileges, though some Republican lawmakers had called for his removal from committee assignments as further disciplinary action.
Green’s outburst occurred just minutes into Trump’s speech Tuesday night when he repeatedly declared that the president “had no mandate.” Sergeant-at-arms William McFarland escorted him from the chamber after he refused to comply with directives to stop.
“I heard the speaker when he said that I should cease, I did not, and I did not with intentionality. It was not done out of a burst of emotion,” Green stated on Thursday before the vote took place. “I was emotional about it, but I did it with intentionality.”
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who authored the resolution, condemned Green’s behavior, saying, “The sheer disregard for decorum during the President’s address from my colleague is unacceptable.”
“A member’s refusal to adhere to the speaker’s direction to cease such behavior, regardless of their party, has and will continue to be reprimanded in the people’s House,” he added.
The resolution nearly failed to advance after Democrats attempted to block it on Wednesday night, but the effort was defeated in a tight 211-209 party-line vote.
Green was not the only Democrat to protest Trump’s speech. Some lawmakers chose to boycott the event entirely, while others held up signs voicing their discontent. Many remained seated and withheld applause throughout the address, and several dozen walked out before the president concluded his remarks.
During the censure debate, Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) criticized Green’s actions, stating, “Donald Trump is not the Republican president. He’s the American president. And what happened … was beneath the dignity of the House and beneath the dignity of the American people.”
Green remained steadfast in his decision, expressing no regret about his conduct. “I am not upset with the members who are going to bring the motions or resolution to sanction. I will suffer the consequences,” he said on Thursday.
“But I must add this, 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 emphasized. “Truthfully, I would do it again.”
The most recent censure before Green’s occurred in late 2023 when the House formally rebuked then-Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for triggering a fire alarm in the Capitol complex during a crucial legislative session on government funding.
{Matzav.com}