Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) was one of 10 Democrats to side with every Republican in a vote to censure Rep. Al Green (D–Texas) on Thursday.
Following the vote, Costa said Green’s disruption during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday was not the time and place for a protest.
Driving the news: Green was removed from Trump’s address early on in the speech after he stood up and started shouting at the president.
- After being given a warning from Speaker Mike Johnson, Green was removed from the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms.
- Green’s outburst came after Trump said he had a mandate from the American people, given his decisive victory last November.
The big picture: The House of Representatives voted to censure Green on a 224-198-2 vote.
- Costa joined nine other Democrats in the move to censure Green.
- While the censure is a formal reprimand on Green that will go on his record, it will not bring any form of hard punishment. A censure effectively serves as public humiliation, forcing the censured representative to to stand in the well as the Speaker reads the person’s transgressions.
What he’s saying: Costa agreed with Green’s objections to Trump during the address, but said in a statement that the focus from his Democratic colleagues was misplaced.
- “Representative Al Green is a dedicated public servant for the people of Houston. We agree that President Trump did not receive a mandate to cut Medicare, Social Security, or SNAP,” Costa said. “The President, nor Elon Musk, also did NOT receive a mandate to illegally undermine federal services that are critical for millions of Americans, such as veterans healthcare, western water management, and agriculture assistance.”
- Costa continued, “However, I respectfully disagree with disruptions during official proceedings of the United States Congress. We need to focus instead on the President’s distortions of the facts. As Democrats, our focus should remain on the critical issues that matter to the American people.”
