Democratic representatives react to the House censuring Rep. Al Green
Following his outburst during President Trump’s congressional address, Rep. Al Green has received a censure from the House of Representatives.
Democratic Rep. Al Green is standing on business, and other democrats in the House of Representatives are standing along with him.
Earlier this week, Green made a bold move by interrupting President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress. The decision that ultimately led to his removal was in response to Trump’s seemingly false declaration of having a mandate to cut Medicare.
“I was telling him that he does not have a mandate to cut Medicare,” Green told ABC News moments after his removal. “If there’s a punishment, I’ll accept the punishment. This is not about me, this is about the people who are going to suffer if Medicaid is cut, if social security is cut. We need to raise the cap on social security, we need to protect Medicare, and for God’s sake, don’t cut Medicaid, this is for poor people.”
Today, the House of Representatives voted to censure Green for his actions on Tuesday night. For those unfamiliar with the political term, a censure is a formal mark of disapproval from the House, seen as a disciplinary action towards members for disorderly behavior. Censures are considered the second-most severe form of punishment for members of the House, with explusion being the worst.
“Mr. Speaker, and still I rise,” Green said on the House floor, ahead of the censure vote. “and still I rise a proud, liberated Democrat, unbought, unbossed and unafraid.”
Following the vote, Democratic representatives like Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib stood at the center of the House floor, singing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome,” according to ABC News.
“We know that we’ve seen [far-right Rep.] Marjorie [Taylor Greene] yell at Joe Biden. There was no outrage. None. So there shouldn’t be any outrage today,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett told the outlet
In an interview with HuffPost, Crockett shared, “I think people lose context of who Al Green is. Al Green is an older Black man who is steeped in the Civil Rights Movement. And so for somebody who grew up and saw people be bloodied and bludgeoned, knowing that that’s what moved the needle forward. And I think what we saw is someone who’s like, ‘We made so much progress. I’m not going to sit here on a privileged perch and just say that it’s OK.’”
Censure or not, Green stands behind his actions.
“I was following the wishes of conscience,” Green said. “There are times when it is better to stand alone than not stand at all…At some point we’re all going to have to stand up.”
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