GOP Rep Says There May Be A Possible Expulsion Vote for Al Green

Large audience seated in a formal legislative chamber

House Republicans escalate action against Rep. Al Green with some calling for his expulsion following his censure for disrupting President Trump’s congressional address.

Key Takeaways

Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was censured by the House for interrupting President Trump’s speech, with the resolution passing largely along party lines with 10 Democrats joining Republicans.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) has suggested an expulsion vote could be “a reasonable consideration” to restore House decorum following Green’s actions.
Any expulsion attempt would face significant hurdles, requiring a two-thirds majority vote—a threshold House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has noted makes such an action unlikely.
House Republicans are also considering stripping Green of committee assignments as an alternative punishment.
Democrats protested the censure by singing “We Shall Overcome” during the formal reading of the resolution against Green.

House Censures Green Following Presidential Address Disruption

The U.S. House of Representatives formally censured Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) for his disruptive outburst during President Donald Trump’s recent address to a joint session of Congress. The censure resolution, introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Washington), passed with overwhelming Republican support and included votes from 10 Democrats who crossed party lines. Green shouted “You don’t have a mandate” during Trump’s speech, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to order his removal from the chamber for violating House decorum rules.

The censure vote represents a significant escalation in partisan tensions, with Republicans characterizing Green’s actions as disrespectful to both the presidency and congressional protocols. Censure is considered the second most severe form of discipline in the House, falling just short of expulsion. During the formal censure procedure, Democrats staged their own protest by singing “We Shall Overcome” while the resolution was being read, further inflaming tensions on the House floor.

211-209, House GOP overcomes Dem effort to kill censure resolution against Al Green for his floor protest during Trump speech. He is expected to be censured tomorrow.

It used to be very rare when the House would censure a member — and only for some of the worst offenses.

Now…

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 5, 2025

Republicans Consider Even Stronger Measures

Following the successful censure vote, some House Republicans have begun discussing the possibility of pursuing an expulsion vote against Rep. Green. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee) has emerged as one of the leading voices suggesting this more severe punishment might be warranted. The Tennessee Republican stated that expulsion “could be a reasonable consideration because I think… we’re going to have to do something to combat this craziness that’s going on. At some point we have to restore decorum and Al just might be that sacrificial lamb.”

“Today, I voted to censure a fellow member of Congress. When you knowingly break House rules, as Rep. Green did, it shouldn’t be surprising to face consequences. Congress should respect the co-equal office of the Presidency, regardless of who holds the job, do our constitutional duty, and stop with the theatrics at these events,” said Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, one of the Democrats who voted for censure.

Expulsion represents the most severe action the House can take against one of its members and has been used sparingly throughout American history. Most recently, the House voted to expel former Rep. George Santos (R-New York) in December 2023. However, the key difference is that expulsion requires a two-thirds majority vote, a much higher threshold than the simple majority needed for censure, making it a more difficult measure to pass.

Alternative Punishments Under Consideration

Recognizing the difficulty of securing the two-thirds majority required for expulsion, House Republicans are exploring other options to discipline Green. The House Freedom Caucus has announced plans to introduce a resolution to strip Green of his committee assignments, a move that would significantly reduce his legislative influence but would only require a simple majority vote to pass. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tennessee) has also proposed removing committee assignments from any Democrats who participated in disrupting the censure proceedings.

Speaker Mike Johnson, who initially ordered Green’s removal during Trump’s speech after he ignored warnings to “maintain decorum,” characterized Green’s actions as “a breach of proper conduct.”

For his part, Green has remained defiant throughout the process. He defended his outburst as a spontaneous reaction to Trump’s policy proposals, specifically citing concerns about potential Medicaid cuts that would affect his constituents. Green, who has previously filed articles of impeachment against Trump during his first term, indicated he is prepared to accept whatever punishment the House decides to impose but remains committed to speaking out against policies he opposes.