Rep. Al Green removed from House by Speaker Johnson

Prior to Donald Trump’s speech, it was made quite clear by Democrats that they planned to disrupt the speech.

They started right out of the gate, but the disruption did not last long, as Speaker Johnson (R-LA) had Rep. Al Green (D-TX) removed before Trump could even get warmed up.

Removing Al

We had actually reported on the Democrats' plans to upend Trump’s speech. There were reports that the Democrats were also going to use noisemakers and a bunch of other tactics to try to throw Trump off his game, but it never came to that.

Green stood up like a madman, waving his cane, and telling Trump he had no mandate. Johnson gave him a warning, stating, “Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions.”

Green refused to back down, so the sergeant-at-arms was told to remove him from chambers.

Dems continued to protest Trump, but they did so silently, holding up signs and ridiculous paddles when they did not agree with Trump. It was like something out of a children’s play rather than members of Congress being paid to represent the American people.

Holding Green Accountable

After all the furor over comments made by Republicans when Biden and Obama were disrupted, Republicans were out for blood to hold Green accountable for his actions.

There were reportedly at least two resolutions circulating in the House to hold the Texas Democrat accountable for his disruptions.

The first resolution was initiated by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), who also happens to be one of two members left in Congress who voted to impeach Trump. Most believed that Speaker Johnson would never give him that satisfaction.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) was also gathering support, and many believed it would likely to be the one to move forward, with one senior aide stating, "It's just tone deaf to even think that leadership would run with a censure from one of the two remaining GOP members who voted to impeach President Trump."

Moving Forward

As it turns out, the Newhouse resolution was the first one to the table, and Johnson has no problem pushing it, stating, "I believe it is the first one out of the gate. I think [Green's protest is] unprecedented. Certainly in the modern era. It wasn't an excited utterance. It was a, you know, planned, prolonged protest."

Green responded to the censure, stating, "I'm willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn't say to anyone, 'don't punish me.' I've said I'll accept the punishment. But it's worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president's desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security."

The Newhouse resolution passed its procedural vote along party lines, and it then passed the formal floor vote at 224-198, with a handful of Democrats voting in favor of the resolution. Newhouse stated, “President Trump’s address to Congress was not a debate or a forum; he was invited by the Speaker to outline his agenda for the American people.

"The actions by my colleague from Texas broke the rules of decorum in the House, and he must be held accountable. We can and must do better, and it is critical that we reprimand this behavior and restore respect for the institution, each other, and the people that sent us here to work for them.”