congressional_record: CREC-2025-03-05-pt1-PgH998
Data license: Public Domain (U.S. Government data) · Data source: Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API
This data as json
| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CREC-2025-03-05-pt1-PgH998 | 2025-03-05 | 119 | 1 | RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE | HOUSE | HOUSE | ALLOTHER | H998 | H1004 | [{"name": "Dan Newhouse", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Katherine M. Clark", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Nicholas J. Begich III", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Tom Cole", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "James P. McGovern", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Doug LaMalfa", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Al Green", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Michael Baumgartner", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Suzan K. DelBene", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Tom McClintock", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Jamie Raskin", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Jonathan L. Jackson", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Rosa L. DeLauro", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Lloyd Doggett", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mark Takano", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "119", "type": "HCONRES", "number": "11"}, {"congress": "119", "type": "HRES", "number": "189"}, {"congress": "119", "type": "HRES", "number": "189"}] | 171 Cong. Rec. H998 | Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 42 (Wednesday, March 5, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 5, 2025)] [House] [Pages H998-H1004] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution that was previously noticed. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). The Clerk will report the resolution. The Clerk read as follows: H. Res. 189 Whereas on March 4, 2025, during the joint session of Congress convened pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 11, the President of the United States, speaking at the invitation of the House and Senate, had his remarks interrupted by the Representative from Texas, Mr. Green; Whereas the conduct of the Representative from Texas disrupted the proceedings of the joint address and was a breach of proper conduct; and Whereas after numerous disruptions, the Representative from Texas had to be removed from the chamber by the Sergeant at Arms: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That-- (1) Representative Al Green be censured; (2) Representative Al Green forthwith present himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of censure; and (3) Representative Al Green be censured with the public reading of this resolution by the Speaker. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution qualifies. Motion to Table Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The clerk will report the motion. The Clerk read the motion as follows: Ms. Clark of Massachusetts moves to lay the resolution on the table. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to table. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the noes appeared to have it. Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 209, nays 211, answered ``present'' 1, not voting 11, as follows: [Roll No. 60] YEAS--209 Adams Aguilar Amo Ansari Auchincloss Balint Barragan Beatty Bell Bera Beyer Bishop Bonamici Boyle (PA) Brown Brownley Budzinski Bynum Carbajal Carson Carter (LA) Casar Case Casten Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Cherfilus-McCormick Chu Cisneros Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Conaway Connolly Correa Costa Courtney Craig Crockett Crow Cuellar Davids (KS) Davis (IL) Davis (NC) Dean (PA) DeGette DeLauro DelBene Deluzio DeSaulnier Dexter Dingell Doggett Elfreth Escobar Espaillat Evans (PA) Fields Figures Fletcher Foster Foushee Frankel, Lois Friedman Frost Garamendi Garcia (CA) Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Gillen Golden (ME) Goldman (NY) Gomez Gonzalez, V. Goodlander Gottheimer Gray Harder (CA) Hayes Himes Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Hoyle (OR) [[Page H999]] Huffman Ivey Jackson (IL) Jacobs Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (TX) Kamlager-Dove Kaptur Keating Kelly (IL) Kennedy (NY) Khanna Krishnamoorthi Landsman Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latimer Lee (NV) Lee (PA) Leger Fernandez Levin Liccardo Lieu Lofgren Lynch Magaziner Mannion Matsui McBath McBride McClain Delaney McClellan McCollum McDonald Rivet McGarvey McGovern McIver Meeks Menendez Meng Mfume Min Moore (WI) Morelle Morrison Moskowitz Moulton Mrvan Nadler Neal Neguse Norcross Ocasio-Cortez Olszewski Omar Pallone Panetta Pappas Pelosi Perez Peters Pingree Pocan Pou Pressley Quigley Ramirez Randall Raskin Riley (NY) Rivas Ross Ruiz Ryan Salinas Sanchez Scanlon Schakowsky Schneider Scholten Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, David Sewell Sherman Simon Smith (WA) Sorensen Soto Stansbury Stanton Stevens Strickland Subramanyam Suozzi Swalwell Sykes Takano Thanedar Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Titus Tlaib Tokuda Tonko Torres (CA) Torres (NY) Trahan Tran Underwood Vargas Vasquez Veasey Velazquez Vindman Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Whitesides Williams (GA) Wilson (FL) NAYS--211 Aderholt Alford Allen Amodei (NV) Arrington Babin Bacon Baird Balderson Barr Barrett Baumgartner Bean (FL) Bentz Bergman Bice Biggs (AZ) Biggs (SC) Bilirakis Boebert Bost Brecheen Bresnahan Burchett Burlison Calvert Cammack Carey Carter (GA) Carter (TX) Ciscomani Cline Cloud Clyde Collins Comer Crane Crank Crawford Crenshaw Davidson De La Cruz DesJarlais Donalds Downing Dunn (FL) Edwards Ellzey Emmer Estes Evans (CO) Ezell Fallon Fedorchak Feenstra Finstad Fischbach Fitzgerald Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Flood Fong Foxx Franklin, Scott Fry Fulcher Garbarino Gill (TX) Gimenez Goldman (TX) Gooden Gosar Graves Green (TN) Greene (GA) Griffith Grothman Guest Guthrie Hageman Hamadeh (AZ) Haridopolos Harrigan Harris (MD) Harris (NC) Harshbarger Hern (OK) Higgins (LA) Hill (AR) Hinson Houchin Hudson Huizenga Hunt Hurd (CO) Issa Jack Jackson (TX) James Johnson (LA) Johnson (SD) Jordan Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Kean Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) Kennedy (UT) Kiggans (VA) Kiley (CA) Kim Knott Kustoff LaHood LaLota LaMalfa Langworthy Latta Lawler Lee (FL) Letlow Loudermilk Lucas Luna Luttrell Mace Mackenzie Malliotakis Maloy Mann Massie Mast McCaul McClain McClintock McCormick McDowell McGuire Messmer Miller (IL) Miller (OH) Miller (WV) Miller-Meeks Mills Moolenaar Moore (AL) Moore (NC) Moore (UT) Moore (WV) Moran Murphy Nehls Newhouse Norman Nunn (IA) Obernolte Ogles Onder Owens Palmer Perry Pfluger Reschenthaler Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rouzer Roy Rulli Rutherford Salazar Scalise Schmidt Schweikert Scott, Austin Self Sessions Shreve Simpson Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smucker Spartz Stauber Stefanik Steil Steube Strong Stutzman Taylor Tenney Thompson (PA) Tiffany Timmons Turner (OH) Valadao Van Drew Van Duyne Van Orden Wagner Walberg Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Westerman Wied Williams (TX) Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Yakym Zinke ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--1 Green, Al (TX) NOT VOTING--11 Begich Buchanan Cole Diaz-Balart Gonzales, Tony Grijalva Meuser Mullin Pettersen Rose Sherrill Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes remaining. {time} 1652 So the motion to table was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. Stated against: Mr. BEGICH. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 60. Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 60. {time} 1700 The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. DesJarlais). Pursuant to clause 2 of rule IX, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for a very serious issue that I think troubles and disturbs every Member of the House of Representatives on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, decorum, order, and respect are the foundations for the way that we conduct business in this Chamber, in this institution. Respect for the institution is paramount. Respect for each other and respect for the responsibility that each one of us has been given and has been tasked with and who has the responsibility to the American people are the building blocks and the most important facets of our system that truly separate us, the United States of America, from the rest of the world. During the President's address just last night to a joint session of Congress, Mr. Speaker, those principles were violated. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) performed one of most shameful acts that I have ever seen on this floor. As an advocate for bipartisan problem-solving and for working across the aisle as hard as possible to come up with solutions for the people whom I represent and for the people whom every single one of us represents, I was deeply disappointed to see the behavior that we all saw and that the world saw unfold in this Chamber. I thank my Republican colleagues and certainly House leadership, particularly Mr. Crane and Mr. Nehls, for helping elevate the Conference's concern on this very, very important matter. Mr. Speaker, we must maintain a standard in the House of Representatives, and any Member's refusal to adhere to the Speaker's direction to cease such behavior, regardless of their political party and regardless of who is at the lectern giving a speech, has to and must continue to be reprimanded. We cannot afford to let it go by. Mr. Speaker, we can do better. Mr. Speaker, we must do better for ourselves, for the institution, and for the people who sent us here. Checking our emotion, checking our energy, and checking our rhetoric and prioritizing decency between each other sends the message not only to our colleagues but to the rest of the country and the rest of the world that we are working for the people and not against each other. With those brief comments, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of outrage in this Chamber about an interruption last night. Republicans are furious--furious--that someone dared to speak up. Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? I agree that there was a violation of the dignity and decorum of this Chamber, and it came from the podium where Donald Trump was standing. He gave one of the most bitter, angry, and divisive speeches ever delivered in this room. He offered no vision and no solutions, just grievance after grievance after grievance. It was 90 minutes of pure propaganda. It made me sick. He offered zero ideas to fix the egg shortage, zero solutions for inflation, zero plans to lower rent, zero about prescription drugs, and zero about caring for our veterans--he didn't even mention them--and zero about the wildfires devastating South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, do you know what Donald Trump did mention 13 times? Joe Biden. That is because he is obsessed with the past, and he is obsessed with himself. Republicans jump into action after someone has the guts to stand up and call BS. It has been less than 24 hours, and here they are on the floor with an emergency censure to soothe Donald Trump's fragile ego. I have never seen them leap into action so fast in my life. It was overnight. Meanwhile, their own voters are getting hurt by this administration, and it is radio silence. They can't even be [[Page H1000]] bothered to lift a finger or do a townhall. Mr. Speaker, where is the outrage over Trump wanting to cut 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs? Where is the condemnation for Trump firing 6,000 veterans with no justification? Where is the anger for Trump firing scientists who are working to fix the egg shortage by fighting the bird flu? Moreover, where is the immediate action when the people who keep Ebola out of the country are fired or the people who secure our nuclear weapons are fired? Where is the outrage? Republicans can't lift a finger about any of those things, but they sprint to the floor to censure Al Green because he hurt Trump's feelings. It is pathetic, Mr. Speaker. Now, look, we know what this is all about. Republicans don't work for America. They don't work for the people. They don't work for veterans, and they don't work for the teachers or the nurses or the firefighters or factory workers or the waitresses or the farmers. They work for Trump. They work for Trump, for their billionaire donors, and for the greedy corporations who write their campaign checks. Mr. Speaker, if you ever needed proof, then look no further than what is happening right now. They are desperate--desperate--to distract from their own failings. They are desperate to distract from their betrayal of the middle class. They are so desperate that they are running from their own voters and censuring people who hurt Trump's feelings. Give me a break. Al Green is not the one trying to gut Medicaid; Trump is. Al Green is not the one trying to gut veterans' benefits; Trump is. Al Green is not the one cozying up to dictators and screwing over our allies; Trump is. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say that I respect Mr. McGovern's opinion and his viewpoints. They may conflict with mine on many occasions, but he has the absolute right to express them on this floor, and we need to continue that tradition. However, this is not about the President. This is not about President Trump. This is about how we, as Members of the House of Representatives, conduct ourselves while we are doing business on the House floor. This is about how we treat each other. It is about how we treat each other, whether with respect or not. It is so important, especially when the eyes of the world are focused right here in this very room. In my short time in Congress, which is just about a decade now, I have never ever seen a Member of the House, by the direction of the Speaker, escorted from the premises by the Sergeant at Arms. That is a first. Maybe, Mr. Speaker, you know of the last time it happened. It has been a long time. I am very disappointed and ashamed of the fact, and this is not personal to Mr. Green, who is a very amiable fellow, but we must, as Members of this institution, leave our rhetoric, calm our energy, and make sure our emotions do not take over and conduct ourselves in a way that all of us, not just here in this room but across the country, can be proud of because we truly are on display to the rest of the world. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa). Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Newhouse for leading this. It is a regrettable situation we are in. It is not one we enjoy at all. I have been disappointed over the years at outbursts that come from this Chamber at whoever the President is. I know people on my side of the aisle have done it. In the case I am thinking of, that person later regretted it and apologized for it. That person understands that we have to have decorum in this place. It is hard to contain emotions, perhaps, but we are in the business to be leaders. We are in a business that we are supposed to be able to contain our emotions and contain ourselves in such a way that we are good leaders and good examples for the American people; that they can be proud of us and what we are doing. They may disagree with us on our policies, and they may disagree strenuously. I consider Mr. Green a friend, at least an acquaintance. We don't hang out a lot or are on the same committees, but we chat together in the hallways. I like him, and I hope he likes me too. We have probably extremely different views on some issues, and I know he expresses himself in some pretty strong views and emotions, as well. That is fine when we are doing that in debate and we are doing that in the proper format here. However, decorum in this hallowed Chamber and for what this has stood for for well over 200 years requires us to be able to operate much better than that. I wasn't so much mad last night as I sat just a few chairs over from Mr. Green. I was really mostly disappointed that it had to come to that. {time} 1715 I have had Presidents who I have strongly disagreed with over their rhetoric or their policies, and I think they have been, in my view, very harmful to the country. Members don't act that way and completely disrupt the operations of this Chamber and the joint session last night for their own theater. That is what I am afraid it was. Did the gentleman feel strongly? Certainly he did, but Members of Congress don't act that way. We don't wave a walking stick around at people like that. It is just not good. It is improper. It is not the way we are supposed to conduct ourselves in this place or at any public forum, city council level, what have you, including townhalls. Mr. Speaker, I enjoy having townhalls, by and large, but if they are going to be advertised as a forum as a free-for-all for people to come out and do screaming matches, what should we do? Should we just turn on the clock for 90 minutes and have at it? I would like that the interactions at our local level could be constructive and both sides can hear each other to understand what is going on. In this Chamber here, during that hallowed event, when the whole country and the whole world was watching, for someone to be able to single out their own interests or their own theater because they disagreed strongly with a President whom they don't like, it is really, really bad decorum and a really bad way of doing business. I tell the gentleman that I don't enjoy casting this vote at all if it should come up tomorrow. I personally like my colleague on the other side of the aisle. I wish we could have done better last night. I hope we can count each other as friends after this. I don't hold any long-term anger or angst, but it just wasn't good. I wish I could have taken the gentleman aside last night and said: Let's not do this. Unfortunately, it happened. This is a proper reaction. We can't just let this stand. It has to be done correctly. We have to have a decorum for this House, and this censure is what is necessary to hit that reset and do so. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding time to me. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I have great respect for the gentleman who just spoke, but where was he and where were the Republicans when Joe Biden was President of the United States? I remember sitting here, and there was an entire heckling section on the Republican side. We didn't call for all of those Members to be removed. We wanted to go on with the people's business, but where was the gentleman? Where were my Republican friends? Nobody apologized for interrupting Joe Biden time and time again. The majority talks about lack of decorum. Go back and look at the tapes. There was silence on the Republican side. I appreciate the gentleman's selective outrage, but he would have more credibility had he expressed outrage when his colleagues were heckling Joe Biden. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green). Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise. Mr. Speaker, I rise to explain why I did what I did, and I did it with intentionality. The President indicated that he had a mandate. [[Page H1001]] I said to the President: ``You do not have a mandate to cut Medicaid.'' I have constituents who need Medicaid. They will suffer, and some will die if they don't get Medicaid. I heard the Speaker when he said that I should cease. I did not, and I did not with intentionality. It was not done out of a burst of emotion. I was emotional about it, but I did it with intentionality. I think that, on some questions, questions of conscience, one has to be willing to suffer the consequences. I have said that I will. I will suffer whatever the consequences are because I don't believe that people should be without good healthcare. Mr. Speaker, I stood up for my constituents then. I am standing up for my constituents now. I am grateful to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for what he has said. I am grateful to those who have been standing with me. I will tell my colleague on the other side of the aisle: I appreciate him. I have no anger. The officers who escorted me out were kind to me. I don't blame the Speaker for anything. Mr. Speaker, I would do it again. I have to be candid with the gentleman. I am not trying to insult him in some way. This is a matter of principle. This is a matter of conscience. There are people suffering in this country because they don't have healthcare. I will close with this: On some issues that are matters of conscience, it is better to stand alone than to not stand at all. This is where I stand. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baumgartner). Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I will start by thanking my colleague from Washington (Mr. Newhouse) for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump is not the Republican President. He is the American President. What happened last night was beneath the dignity of the House and beneath the dignity of the American people. I say that as someone who is new to this body. I also point out how it was perceived and how it may have been interpreted. As Members know, each Member of the House receives a guest ticket. I decided to give my guest ticket, the first one that I was able to give for this kind of occasion, to a teacher from eastern Washington. I gave it to her with the goal of inspiring an interest in civics and public service in the next generation of young people. In fact, we ran a competition for students to nominate their teacher, and the winning teacher that came had never before been to Washington, D.C., had never been to the Halls of Congress, and was so excited that she was here to watch the joint session. I have no idea what her political beliefs were, no idea whether she is Republican or Democrat or Independent. She was just excited to be here as part of this experiment in democracy that we have. All of her students were watching from home. While it can be regrettable, and it happens on both sides, when people have a spontaneous outburst of emotion and maybe say something they shouldn't, what I saw and what I worry about what her students saw last night was a continued premeditated attack, and some might even say the appearance of a violent and threatening action with the cane. That may not have been the intent, but I worry that those students perceived what I saw as I watched was a scene that was beneath the dignity of this House, beneath the dignity of the American people, and certainly beneath the dignity of our President. At some point, America cannot continue on this slide towards continual partisan fighting and all of the divisiveness. We all need to do better, including myself and I think every Member of this body. Let's join together on this. Let's join together and realize that this episode was beneath the dignity of what the American people expect from Congress. Let's have this be a new beginning in civility from a low point that this body can rise and behave in the manner, I think, that all of the American people want it to behave, and certainly those high school students that were watching from home, who were so excited that their teacher was here to experience this special moment. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the gentleman who just spoke, if he felt that the most offensive thing last night was Mr. Green coming to this floor, standing up in this Chamber, and pleading with the President not to cut people's healthcare, if he thinks that was the most offensive thing that occurred on the House floor last night, then I don't think he was paying attention to the speech that was being given by the President of the United States. Go back and reread it. Go back and reread it. It was a totally divisive and partisan speech. The President was calling Senators names, berating Joe Biden. It was a campaign speech. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) says that the President is supposed to be the President of the entire United States, not just Republicans. Mr. Speaker, I wish we had seen that last night, but we didn't. In all of my years, I have never ever witnessed anything as partisan and as divisive as that. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene). Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, one thing we should be talking about are the important investments that we make in medical research. The United States leads the world in medical research and innovation. Without our investments, more people would be dying from cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Mr. Speaker, medical breakthroughs of tomorrow are at risk because of Trump's research cuts at the National Institutes of Health. These cuts will be especially felt in my home State of Washington, where we are leaders in advancing world-class scientific research that saves lives. Washington is home to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where I recently visited to highlight the devastating impacts of these cuts on the 40,000 patients that they serve each year. In fiscal year 2024, Washington researchers were awarded nearly $1.3 billion in NIH funding that supports 12,000 jobs in our State. One of my constituents works at an organization that is fighting autoimmune diseases. It is 80 percent funded by NIH investments. She is worried about the devastating impacts that these cuts would have on the patients who rely on their work. I started my career in medical research, and I know what losing funding or even the threat of it being cut off could have on institutions and their patients. The consequences of the President's decision will be felt in so many ways. Labs could go dark. Patients could be kicked off of lifesaving critical trials. New cures could be delayed. Future innovators could abandon the field. The President must stop the senseless attack on the research that saves money but, most importantly, saves lives. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock). Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Green deliberately disrupted Congress' proceedings during a joint session yesterday. This was an affront to the Constitution, which commands that the President report to the Congress from time to time. It was an insult to the Presidency, and it was a disgrace to this body. It was perpetrated not by some lunatic wearing buffalo horns but, rather, by an elected Member of the United States Congress. This is worthy of the harshest sanctions that we can apply. Mr. Speaker, many Members repeatedly interrupted this Presidential address with catcalls and insults and other gestures of disrespect. A Member once did this to President Obama. He apologized, and he was reprimanded. I didn't hear an apology from Mr. Green right now. What I heard was deliberate, calculated defiance. The whole reason for this building to exist and the whole reason for this House Chamber is to exchange our views, sometimes very sharply different views, and talk out the differences among us. In order for that to work, that discussion has to be accompanied by civility and decorum. Accordingly, our rules insist on that. I believe that all of those who breach [[Page H1002]] these rules need to be held accountable, lest this event become just another sad milestone in the denigration of this institution. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States said a lot of things last night. He used a personal insult against a sitting Senator from my home State, and the gentleman who just spoke is upset that someone stood up and asked him not to cut Medicaid? {time} 1730 Really? That is what this is all about? You heard from Mr. Green. There is not a gentler soul in this Chamber, and he was offended by some of the things the President was saying yesterday. I am all for decorum, but where is the decorum in throwing poor people off of healthcare? Where is the decorum in cutting food benefits and nutrition benefits to people who are in desperate need? Where is the decorum in cutting school meals? These are unusual times that we are in. They are firing veterans as we are gathered here today, people who serve our country with distinction. Our constituents and your constituents are upset, and here we are upset because somebody got up and pleaded with the President not to cut Medicaid. Where were all of my Republican friends when we had a heckling session year after year of Republicans berating Barack Obama? There was nothing. There was nothing. I can't believe we are having this debate. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin). Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, thousands of my constituents have been illegally fired by Elon Musk and by Donald Trump. One of them was with me last night, Dr. Lauren McGee, who was an NIH pediatric cancer specialist heading up a team looking into osteosarcoma, bone cancer for children. She got fired on February 14 because she was a probationary employee. Probationary, not because she had done anything wrong, but because she had been promoted into the new job. She was with me last night, and she had to sit here and listen, along with me--and I had spent the day with her--to Donald Trump saying one of their top priorities is to fight childhood cancer, and she got sacked on that Valentine's Day massacre. Now they want to censure the gentleman from Texas. Why? Because he challenged the President about his claim that he has a mandate to cut Medicaid, and that is what the gentleman was trying to raise. We have Republicans in the Chamber who have never voted to impeach Donald Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against this Congress, this Constitution, and his own Vice President, who have never voted to even censure the President for doing that, and yet they want to censure the gentleman from Texas. Last night, President Trump called a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts ``Pocahontas,'' using an ethnic slur to go after her. If you really want to proceed to censure the gentleman from Texas for talking about no mandate to cut Medicaid, then certainly we are going to have to move to censure the President for using a racial and ethnic slur against a sitting United States Senator. I would prefer to stand by the tradition of free speech and even the tradition of heckling. There is a fine American art of heckling. If you read the Lincoln-Douglas debates, I recommend the Harold Holzer version of it because the newspapers carried all of the hecklers' comments, too. People would get up and heckle, and Lincoln would interact with them and Douglas would interact with them. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland. Mr. RASKIN. Let's stop clutching our pearls. There has been lots of heckling over on that side of the aisle. I saw the gentlewoman from Georgia heckle the last President and have a whole heckling section there. We didn't try to censure them or kick them out of Congress or anything. We actually not only say we believe in free speech but we believe in free speech. We will stand up for people's right to speak. Now, I don't believe in the kind of heckling where you drown somebody out and you make it impossible for them to speak, but the gentleman was trying to start a conversation as opposed to just being spoken to all night. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is very interesting to listen to the arguments coming from the other side of the aisle about what we are doing here tonight. In talking about free speech, it seemed to me that the gentleman from Texas was doing all he could to prohibit or get in the way of the President of the United States exercising his free speech and his address to the joint session. This is not about policy. This is not about whether Republicans are better than Democrats or vice versa. This is about how we conduct ourselves on the House floor. This is about how we treat each other. This is a reflection on every single one of us in this Chamber. As my colleague from the State of Washington said, it is not just us this affects. This affects the kids of our country, as well, who are learning, one way or the other, from our examples. You can go on and on about how much you disagree and detest some of the policies and positions of the President of the United States. Be my guest, but that is not what is being argued tonight. That is not the issue that we are taking a stand on today. This is how we, as a body, should conduct ourselves in these hallowed Halls, this Chamber, that not very many people ever get to set foot into. This is something we should hold to a higher standard. We have to or else what are we? Are we just a debate club that yells at each other, or do we stand for something? Do we truly see ourselves as Representatives of the people of the United States? Something has to change. It truly does. A line has to be drawn. Not all of us on either side of the aisle are perfect examples of what we could or should be, but certainly, as I mentioned before, in my career here, I have never ever seen a Member of Congress escorted from the floor of the House by the Sergeant At Arms. It has never happened in my career, and I don't want to see it happen again. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Do you know what has never happened in my career? The President of the United States coming before a joint session of Congress and insulting Members by name individually, shouting slurs at people. I have never seen that before. Would the gentleman agree with me that Trump deserves a censure for calling my Senator from Massachusetts a slur? Would that be appropriate? Again, this was not business as usual yesterday. To make believe that somehow it was or that the person who was giving the speech yesterday was acting within the structures of decorum is laughable. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson). The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President. Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker: ``Cowardice asks the question, `Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, `Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, `Is it popular?' But conscience asks the question, `Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right.'' Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the courage, the character, and the great decency of the Honorable Congressman Al Green for saying what is right, when there are many amongst us that have cowardice that have seemed to have lost their backbone and spine to call out untruths. Mr. Speaker, he is a man that is standing up for those who are poor, who are left out, who have been left behind, a man that is standing up for Medicaid and Medicare. As we sit here [[Page H1003]] and talk about some of this pious irrelevancy and sanctimonious trivialities, this man should be heralded and stand up for his decency, for his courage for standing up for the poor, for the least of these. There is a theological problem in this institution when we are more kind to those who are rich and powerful than those who are poor, when we are talking about balancing the budget off the backs of those who need healthcare, who need housing, who need food assistance, to give tax breaks to the rich. Once again, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in celebrating the Honorable Congressman Al Green. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts has 13\1/2\ minutes remaining. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro). Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, while Republicans try to distract us with this resolution, our constituents are reaching out to us. What are they asking us? They are asking us to stop the Republican assault on our schools, our livelihoods, and our communities. Another constituent who reached out to me is named Kris. He is a student at Common Ground High School. Common Ground High School is an innovative, educational, environmental, and community-building venture, combining a charter high school, an urban demonstration farm, and a community environmental education center. Due to the funding freeze, Kris said essential programs at Common Ground, like the youth workforce development and community food relief, which also partners with CitySeed to help people afford food stamp purchases from the farm, have been shut down. They have been shut down because of this freeze, and 71 student workers have been laid off. Students like Kris are reaching out not just because of their own future and their education has been affected but because they see how their community is hurt by these cuts, as well. There are people today around this country, not only in my district, who are getting hurt thanks to Republican cuts. The funding freeze is not just killing the crops at Common Ground, but it is killing academic futures, new ideas for education, and opportunities for young people in this country. This is what Republicans are trying to do by distracting us with their censures. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett). Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, Al Green is my friend and, for that matter, so is Mr. Newhouse, though I don't know him quite as well. I think this motion is a serious mistake. I sat here in this House the night that President Obama made his state of the Union speech, and Joe Wilson from South Carolina jumped up and said: ``You lie.'' Nothing was done about that. Mr. Green engaged in conduct that I chose not to participate in, though I found that a number of my constituents wished I had joined him. He expressed his strong views in a way that I would not have voiced them myself, but he left this Chamber voluntarily after doing so. To censure him now sets us back. It does not move us forward toward a more bipartisan and a more respectful House. Indeed, I think many Americans will be surprised that Republicans get upset about decorum on anything. There was no Republican objection when President Trump decided to pardon the criminals that were responsible for the deaths of police officers in this building when they defended us on January 6, sprayed them with bear spray, and harassed and harmed so many officers. There has been no Republican concern about decorum when the President fired the head of the Office of Ethics at the White House, when he fired the watchdogs of about 17 different Federal departments and agencies, the inspectors general that are designed to uphold and check out corruption and waste in our government. {time} 1745 There has been no outrage when President Trump decided that he would take on General Milley for being the patriot that he is and seek to obtain revenge on him. What Mr. Green was talking about was outrage about something that is very important. There are 700,000 seniors in Texas who rely on Medicaid and nursing homes. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas. Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, half the children in my hometown, and probably more in Mr. Green's, are at risk of losing their care as seen in our Children's Hospital. Medicaid is a lifeline to individuals with disabilities. He was passionate. He was emotional. He is deeply committed to protecting the vulnerable. He should not be censured for the way in which he expressed his passion and his concern and his love of justice. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate the comments of Mr. Doggett and do consider him a friend as well, but let me just tell you that we are talking apples to oranges when we are speaking about something that happened under President Obama's speech on the Republican side. Last night, Mr. Green was reprimanded at least three times by the Speaker to stop and desist what he was doing, shaking his cane at the President at the rostrum in a threatening manner, underscoring--what I saw was emotion, energy and emotion; and intentionality, absolutely, intending to disrupt the speech by the President of the United States. I think we are talking about two different things here. The incident during the Obama administration was over in just a few seconds. This went on and on and on. Certainly, debating the issue is one thing in different circumstances. This was not an open debate. Mr. Green was trying to make it one. This was a message from the President, so the actions that we are proposing to take here are absolutely justified. The President was here under invitation by the House of Representatives for a report to Congress. It was not an open debate. It was a message being received by the joint session, and that is the way it should be treated. Respect should be given to the Presidency whether or not they are your guy or your gal. It is the Office of the President that needs the respect because it reflects on all of us as Members of the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano). Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member McGovern for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this resolution. I am here as the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to represent the interests of our Nation's veterans when they are callously being targeted. While our colleagues across the aisle are determined to shift the public narrative away from the harm being done to veterans, we choose to focus on what our President failed to address last night. He spent an hour and 40 minutes touting his so-called accomplishments while veterans watching at home were waiting for answers, answers and explanations they never received. While President Trump was addressing us last night on this very House floor, movements were being made by the Chief of Staff for Veterans Affairs, Christopher Syrek, to execute a detrimental reduction in force at VA. With the support of this administration, VA plans to move forward with firing an additional 83,000 VA employees. Sitting in the audience of President Trump's address were 20 veterans who had been indiscriminately fired from Federal agencies, veterans he failed to address. Not once during his speech was he able to look them in the eyes and speak to the merciless effects his administration's decisions have made on their community. He didn't attempt to justify them because he knows there is no justification. Our veterans served our Nation. They put their lives on the line for us and this country's values, and now look at what they are facing. They are facing attacks on their benefits. They are facing attacks on their healthcare, education, and housing. When we reduce [[Page H1004]] an agency established to work for them, we fail them. I stand behind Congressman Green as he stood up for the rights of all veterans and all Americans. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire, is the gentleman prepared to close? Mr. NEWHOUSE. I am prepared to close, Mr. Speaker. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, the virtue signaling we are seeing from Republicans right now is insane. I am sorry. Who was it who yelled: ``You lie'' at President Obama during his address? A Republican. Who was it who heckled President Biden, standing up and ranting like lunatics? It was Republicans. Go back and look at the videos. It was embarrassing. Nothing was done about that. I am the ranking member of the damn Rules Committee, and I have a question. Why are the rules only applied to Democratic Members? Are Republicans ready to censure their own Members for wearing campaign hats in the Chamber last night? That is a violation of the rules. Are they ready to censure the Republican Member who got caught voting from California last month, which is a violation of the House rules? He wasn't even in the Chamber. Hell, he wasn't even on the East Coast. Are these people going to be censured? Of course not, because their outrage is all BS. There was a breach of dignity and decorum in this Chamber last night, but it wasn't Al Green. It was the President of the United States, who stood at that podium and delivered a manifesto of pure fantasy. He says he wants to make America affordable again. Well, inflation just hit a 7-month high, and his new trade war will cost families $2,000 more a year. Trump says he wants to balance the budget. His plan would add $3 trillion to the deficit to give billionaires another tax cut--let me repeat that again--to give billionaires a tax cut. All these cutbacks, all these firings are going to fund tax cuts for billionaires. He says Social Security is paying benefits to millions of people over 100 years old. That is totally wrong, debunked a hundred times. He says he cares about childhood cancer. He slashed the funding for child cancer research. He says his tariffs are good for farmers. Last time he did this, farmers lost $27 billion. He says he supports law enforcement. He pardoned the people who beat police officers on January 6. He pardoned them: people who tried to overturn the election, people who brutally beat the men and women who protect us in this Chamber every single day. There was just one outrageous statement after another, and not a single peep from my Republican friends. Nothing. Now, Mr. Speaker, Republicans have the nerve to come down here and censure anyone. Republicans moved heaven and earth to come down here and defend the honor of their boss, Donald Trump, but they won't lift a finger for their own constituents. Look in the mirror and censure yourselves. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. One of the things when I was a freshman in Congress that just shocked me, amazed me, is how easily events on the floor would devolve into what I would describe as something akin to a high school pep rally, and that pains me to say that. We are all adults here, discussing some of the most important issues facing the American public, I would daresay the entire world, right here in this Chamber. The things that happen in this Chamber that reflect poorly on us reflect poorly on every single one of us. I would say to you, Mr. Speaker, that this is truly a wake-up call for this Chamber. The lack of decorum has reached a new high when the President of the United States cannot even come into our Chamber, invited, and complete his speech without the interaction that we saw last night. We have to take this action of censure. Let me tell you, there are many people on my side of the aisle that would like to take this even further. The notion of intentionality versus emotion does not justify the actions that we witnessed last night, the disrespect of the institution. Using the argument that, well, our side did it so we can do it, too, well, that doesn't work. That does not hold water. Mr. Speaker, we can do better. Mr. Speaker, we must do better. We cannot ignore the willful disruption intended to stop a proceeding. Let me use another word that is also difficult to say. It was shameful. Without decorum, without respect, what have we got? What do we have? Truly. You have all seen the newsreels of other countries that chambers similar to ours evolve into fistfights on the floor. Is that where we are headed next? Is that what we want to have happen so that these fine people that work their tails off every day can be part of that and be the referees in a situation that is out of control? Like I said, this shameful action reflects on every single one of us. You are right. I will concede that all of us need a reminder that we all need to raise our level of accountability due to the actions that we take. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a necessary but difficult step. This resolution is offered in all seriousness. It is something that I believe that we must do in order to get us to the next level of conduct in this hallowed Chamber. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to join with me to attain that better level of conduct. We owe it to our constituents for sure. We owe it to our future constituents in this country. We owe it to our country. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The previous question is ordered on the resolution. The question is on adoption of the resolution. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question are postponed. ____________________ |