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The House rejected a motion to immediately kill a resolution censuring Representative Al Green of Texas. By failing to kill the proposal, the House allowed the formal reprimand process to continue.
This vote was on a motion to "table"—effectively to kill—House Resolution 189. The resolution proposes a formal public reprimand, known as a censure, of Representative Al Green (D-TX) for his conduct during a presidential address to a joint session of Congress, where he was removed from the chamber after repeated interruptions. A motion to table is a common procedural tactic used to end debate and discard a matter permanently without taking a direct vote on its merits. If this motion had passed, the censure resolution would have been discarded. Because it failed, the House kept the resolution active for further consideration. The motion failed in a very close 209-211 vote, with both parties heavily divided. This outcome meant the House would proceed toward a final decision on whether to officially censure Representative Green. Following the failure of this motion, the censure resolution eventually passed the following day.
Following this failed motion, the House proceeded to further consider the resolution, which was ultimately approved the next day.
OPEN BILL →Why it matters. This vote determined whether the House would proceed with disciplinary action against a member or dismiss the issue immediately without a formal debate on the conduct in question.
Who’s affected. Representative Al Green: Remained subject to a potential public reprimand after the House refused to kill the censure resolution. · House of Representatives: Maintained the ability to address standards of conduct and decorum through formal legislative action.
Democrats. The Democratic caucus was split, with 99 members voting to kill the censure and 115 voting to keep it active.
Republicans. The Republican caucus was also split, with 110 voting to kill the measure and 106 voting to allow it to proceed.
The House rejected a motion to immediately kill a resolution censuring Representative Al Green of Texas.
By failing to kill the proposal, the House allowed the formal reprimand process to continue.
This was a vote on a 'motion to table.' In Congress, 'tabling' a motion is a quick way to kill a proposal immediately so it never receives a final vote on its merits. A 'yes' vote was a vote to discard the censure, while a 'no' vote was a vote to keep the censure alive.
Following this failed motion, the House proceeded to further consider the resolution, which was ultimately approved the next day.
This vote determined whether the House would proceed with disciplinary action against a member or dismiss the issue immediately without a formal debate on the conduct in question.
Both parties were significantly divided on whether to stop the censure process at this stage, with neither party voting as a unified bloc.
The Democratic caucus was split, with 99 members voting to kill the censure and 115 voting to keep it active.
The Republican caucus was also split, with 110 voting to kill the measure and 106 voting to allow it to proceed.
The lone independent member voted against killing the censure resolution.