House censures Rep. Al Green after outburst during Trump speech. Has it happened before?

The House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Al Green after he disrupted President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress — executing a disciplinary measure only used a few dozen times since the founding of the republic.

The House voted 224-198 to censure Green, a Texas Democrat, on March 6, with 10 Democrats joining 214 Republicans who voted in favor.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Washington Republican, introduced the resolution to censure Green on March 5, citing his “sheer disregard for decorum” during Trump’s March 4 congressional address.

In the first few minutes of Trump’s speech, Green stood up from his seat and shouted “You have no mandate,” while pointing his cane toward the president.

House Speaker Mike Johnson then ordered the sergeant at arms to remove Green from the chamber as Republicans cheered.

The next day, Green addressed his outburst in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, explaining that he was speaking out in defense of entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Security.

What does it mean to be censured?

Censure is an official reprimand that can be undertaken by the House and the Senate for their respective members. Both chambers require a majority of their members to vote in favor of a resolution for it to be enacted.

The measure is intended to register the “deep disapproval” for a lawmaker’s conduct, according to the House archives.

However, unlike expulsion, it does not result in a lawmaker losing any of their rights or privileges, according to the Senate archives.

In the House, a censured representative must stand in the center of the chamber “while the Speaker or presiding officer reads aloud the censure resolution and its preamble as a form of public rebuke.”

How often has censure been used?

Throughout America’s 248-year history, just 35 members of Congress have been censured, including 27 representatives and eight senators, according to congressional archives.

It’s become more common in recent years in the House, with three members — Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Rashida Tlaib and Adam Schiff — being subject to the disciplinary measure in 2023.

Bowman, a New York Democrat, was censured on Dec. 7 for pulling a fire alarm in the Capitol complex, which disrupted a vote that was underway in the House.

Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, was censured one month earlier for “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel,” according to House records.

Schiff, a California Democrat who now serves in the Senate, was censured for “misleading the American public and for conduct unbecoming of an elected Member of the House of Representatives.”

Prior to these three, just two representatives had been subject to censure in the 21st century.

In 2021, Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, was faced with the disciplinary measure for posting a fake video that depicted him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking then-President Joe Biden.

And in 2010, Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who is no longer in office, was censured for a number of inappropriate actions, including inaccurately filling out federal tax returns and financial reports.

In the Senate, the punitive measure has been used more sparingly.

It was last implemented in 1990, when Sen. David Durenberger, a Minnesota Republican, was accused of “unethical conduct in personal business dealings, Senate reimbursements, and using campaign contributions for personal use,” according to Senate records.

Before him, Sen. Herman Talmadge, a Georgia Democrat, was censured in 1979 for allegedly engaging in improper financial conduct for years.

Perhaps the most notable member of the upper chamber to face formal disciplinary action was Sen. Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin Republican known for his anti-communist crusade.

McCarthy was censured in 1954 for alleged “abuse and noncooperation with the Subcommittee on Privileges and Elections during a 1952 investigation of his conduct,” according to Senate records.

This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 10:09 AM with the headline "House censures Rep. Al Green after outburst during Trump speech. Has it happened before?."