Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) is trying to censure Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), over an interview on TV in which Boebert criticized Rep. Al Green (D-Texas).
Green heckled Donald Trump repeatedly during his speech to Congress in his first term of the second term last week, until House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ordered that the Sergeant At Arms escort Green out of the chamber.
Houlahan sent a letter to Boebert on Monday, calling her out on her “recent disparaging remarks and derogatory statements” against Green.
Boebert stated, “Al Green had multiple chances to get down on his knees, sit down and behave.”
Boebert said that it was “absolutely abhorrent” for him to shake his ‘pimp cane’ at Trump.
In the resolution, Boebert’s words were described as “discriminatory, derogatory and racist towards another colleague and represent a violation of appropriate conduct and decorum of U.S. House of Representatives.”
The resolution calls on Boebert to “present herself immediately in the House of Representatives well for the proclamation of censure” and for Boebert “to be censured by public reading of this Resolution by the Speaker”.
Houlahan stated, “After our discussion last week on the House Floor, when Speaker Johnson said he would have to censure the half of members to enforce the rules in the Congress, I decided that it was my duty to assist, and tonight, introduced a Resolution to censure Rep. Boebert, for her racist, derogatory remarks about Rep. Al Green (D, TX).”
Green rose to her feet at the beginning of Trump’s speech before Congress when the President described the American people as having “mandated” his election victory.
You have no mandate to cut Medicaid! “You have no mandate!” Green shouted and waved his cane in the direction of Trump.
Green was censured by the lower chamber the following day. Johnson attacked the Democrat for “choosing to intentionally violate House Rules in a way that is likely unprecedented in history.”
Houlahan voted initially to put the motion on the table but was one of the ten Democrats who joined Republicans in censurating Green.
The establishment Democrats and the progressives quickly turned against each other for their disruptive behavior during Trump’s speech, complaining that they have failed to create a united message about Republicans.
Houlahan admitted in a post to X on Thursday that the “vote today for censure against my colleague representative wasn’t easy and angered many people.”
She defended her choice but criticized Republican behavior in the past that, according to her, also warranted censure.
Houlahan said to the newspaper, “I voted for a table because I believe we can do much more with our time than continue this game of tit and tat with each other.” The motion to table was defeated, and we had no choice but to vote. We need to acknowledge that there are rules and standards of decorum in the House of Representatives that everyone presumably accepts. And we must all agree on these standards to get work done for the people and to avoid becoming a banana-republic.
Houlahan said to the Inquirer that after the vote, she “pulled Johnson aside and had a very, very, very firm conversation with him, where I explained that I voted for but was not okay with the arbitrary and capricious application of the same rule.”
Johnson responded, “Well, she just wore her hat.” She complained that there had been no sanction or censure against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
Houlahan, however, argued that Greene had “also yelled” at President Obama last year. She was referring to the treatment she gave former president Joe Biden. “I don’t think it is OK that Greene did not receive the same treatment.”
“And I think it’s absolute hypocrisy that people after the vote were standing there yelling at Mr. Green when their colleagues have done very, very similar things, not wearing masks when it was mandated, wearing MAGA hats when there are no hats allowed on the floor,” Houlahan said. “We had to make a special exception for wearing hijabs. It’s insane… We need to behave like grown-ups and stop the madness.”
Houlahan admitted that it was “really difficult to vote,” but she ultimately did what she had to do. Houlahan stated that it was frustrating because Al Green’s statements were true. It wasn’t offensive or provocative. The truth was told. “I think we all had to decide how to behave and do what is appropriate. I’m sure that each of our colleagues on both sides did so, and they know the consequences of their choices.”
