Dueling Al Green censure efforts stir frustrations within GOP as Republicans demand consequences

Competing resolutions to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, are causing some division within the House GOP on Wednesday.

The Texas Democrat was thrown out of President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night after repeatedly attempting to interrupt the speech, minutes after it began.

A resolution to punish Green over the incident is likely to pass, even with Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the House. But differing ideas over how to get there have led to some frustrations between separate House GOP factions.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., a moderate Republican, introduced his resolution to censure Green on Wednesday. It accused Green of having “repeatedly violated the rules of decorum in the House of Representatives during President Donald J. Trump’s joint address to Congress,” according to text provided to Fox News Digital.

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Rep. Al Green shouts as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)

Notably, Newhouse is one of two House Republicans left in Congress who voted to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot – a fact that backers of a competing censure resolution seized on.

Newhouse’s introduction comes after the House Freedom Caucus announced it would be filing legislation to censure Green, led by Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz. 

Meanwhile, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, began collecting signatures for a censure resolution against Green around 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

Nehls’ bill currently has 24 Republican co-sponsors, including members of the House Freedom Caucus, a source told Fox News Digital.

But two other sources familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that Newhouse’s resolution is most likely to be taken up by House GOP leadership.

A House GOP senior aide said in response, “It’s just tone deaf to even think that leadership would run with a censure from one of the two remaining GOP members who voted to impeach President Trump.”

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Rep. Dan Newhouse introduced one of the three censure resolutions against Rep. Al Green. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

“It would be an obvious play to help shield him from another close primary challenge,” the aide said.

But a second senior House GOP aide countered that, telling Fox News Digital that House GOP leadership had been aware of Newhouse’s plans on Tuesday night.

Newhouse reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., immediately after Trump’s address and both agreed on the need to censure Green, the second aide said.

The senior aide said there was “no better individual” to lead the resolution given the level of respect afforded to Newhouse by fellow House Republicans. 

They also pointed out that Newhouse has already fended off tough primary challenges from his right, noting Trump likes winners, and that Newhouse praised Trump after the address on Tuesday night.

Green, for his part, told the Huffington Post he was “guilty” after being read the text of Newhouse’s resolution.

House GOP leaders have already signaled they would look at punishing Green for his outburst.

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool via Reuters)

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Green remained defiant when he stopped to speak with the White House press pool on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol after being thrown out of the second floor House chamber, where Trump was speaking on Tuesday night.

“I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn’t say to anyone, don’t punish me. I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment,” Green said, according to the White House press pool report.

“But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s and Green’s offices for comment.