Washington, D.C. – Congressman Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01) on Thursday voted to censure Congressman Al Green (D-TX-09) for intentionally and repeatedly breaking House rules by disrupting President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday. The House passed the resolution to censure Congressman Green with a vote of 224 to 198. Congressman Moran released the following statement after the vote:
“The President’s annual joint address to Congress is an important time for the leader of our nation to engage directly with both Congress and the American people. It should be a forum marked with statesmanship and decorum, even when there is disagreement between the parties on policy. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party—in unity—took a different approach. They refused to escort the President into the Chamber as is customary; they refused to stand and applaud for all of the President’s guests, including a child with cancer, a teenager who was just admitted to West Point, the mothers of murdered children, the wife of a slain police officer, and an American who was recently released from captivity in Russia; and many held signs of protest throughout. But, beyond that lack of decorum by the whole group, Congressman Green deliberately and repeatedly violated House Rules by standing and yelling at the President for an extended period of time and continued to do so even after being warned by the Speaker of the House to stand down. His disruption was an intentional and deliberate violation of the standards of conduct for a member of the House of Representatives—one that made a mockery of the official proceedings and brought dishonor to the House by disrespecting the Office of the President and the necessity for the world’s greatest legislative body to act within the highest standards of conduct. In the past, I have had no difficulty holding Republicans accountable for violations of the Rules. And, given the facts here and the repeated, persistent, and intentional conduct by Congressman Green, I believed that a censure was appropriate.”
Background: During President Trump’s joint address, Congressman Green interrupted the President numerous times, rising to shout at the President and make a spectacle of the proceedings. Congressman Green ignored repeated warnings from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) before the Speaker had to instruct the Sergeant at Arms to escort him from the House Chamber in order to restore order and allow President Trump to continue his remarks.
