Democratic Rep. Al Green is sticking to his principles, and he’s not alone—other House Democrats are backing him up.
On March 4, Green made a bold move by interrupting President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress. He was removed from the chamber after he challenged Trump’s claim that he had a mandate to cut Medicare. “I was telling him he doesn’t have a mandate to cut Medicare,” Green said right after he was kicked out. “If there’s a punishment, I’ll accept it. But this isn’t about me. It’s about the people who’ll suffer if Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security get cut. We need to protect these programs, and for God’s sake, don’t cut Medicaid—it’s for poor people.”
The House voted to censure Green for his actions. For those who aren’t familiar, censure is a formal reprimand from the House, a way of showing disapproval for bad behavior. It’s the second most severe punishment a member can get—expulsion being the worst.
Before the censure vote, Green stood on the House floor and said, “Mr. Speaker, and still I rise… and still I rise a proud, liberated Democrat, unbought, unbossed, and unafraid.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett weighed in, pointing out the double standard: “We’ve seen far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene yell at Joe Biden, and there was no outrage. So why the outrage now?” she said.
Crockett added, “People forget who Al Green is. He’s an older Black man who lived through the Civil Rights Movement. He saw people being beaten for standing up. He knows that kind of struggle is what brings change. He’s saying, ‘We’ve come so far, I’m not going to sit back and let things slide.’”
Whether censured or not, Green stands by his actions. “I was following my conscience,” Green said. “Sometimes it’s better to stand alone than not stand at all. At some point, we all have to stand up.”
