Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night felt familiar, though it was delivered in a much different venue. In a tone reminiscent of a campaign speech, the president boasted about his accomplishments and claimed to have a strong mandate from the American people, prompting raucous cheers and frequent standing ovations from Republican members. But unlike at a Trump rally, the audience was also filled with disapproving Democrats. And things took a turn early on as Representative Al Green, a Texas Democrat, stood and disrupted Trump’s speech, shouting, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!”
After multiple warnings, House Speaker Mike Johnson directed the Sergeant of Arms to remove Green from the House chamber to the sounds of cheers and some Republicans singing, “Hey, hey, hey, good-bye.”
During his time in Congress, Green has challenged Trump many times. He filed the first articles of impeachment against Trump back in 2017 following the firing of FBI director James Comey, despite a lack of support from many in his party at the time. He went on to file two more attempts at impeachment. Green told reporters outside the chamber that he spoke out in defense of programs like Medicare and Medicaid that are at risk for cuts under Trump’s administration and that he’s ready to accept any repercussions from his actions.
“I’ll accept the punishment. It’s worth it to let people know that there’s some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security,” he said.
That fallout appears to be imminent. In an interview with Fox News following Trump’s speech, Johnson expressed support for censuring Green for his disruption, calling his actions “shameful.”
“I suspect that there’ll be a censure resolution brought on the floor to discipline him,” he said. “We have to do that inside the House. We have to maintain decorum.”
The House Freedom Caucus indicated Wednesday morning that it would be filing a censure motion against Green later in the day. Representatives Troy Nehls and Dan Newhouse intend to introduce their own separate motions against Green. The internal disciplinary sanction requires a majority vote from the full House of Representatives, which the Republican Party currently holds by a slim margin. If passed, Green would be only the fifth House member to be censured since 2010.
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