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US House to vote on possible censure of Democrat Green who protested Trump's speech

By Bo Erickson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Thursday to potentially censure Democrat Al Green, who was kicked out President Donald Trump's speech on Tuesday after standing and shouting.

Representative Green, a Texas Democrat who has repeatedly called to impeach Trump, is facing a House censure resolution for yelling at the president, waiving his black cane and refusing to sit down during Trump's speech.

Green's message was drowned out by boos from Republicans, but he told reporters this week that he was saying that Trump had no electoral mandate to slash funding for Medicaid, the government healthcare program that helps cover costs for people with limited income.

Green was eventually escorted out by chamber staff who maintain the decorum and security of the floor.

The 20-year congressman will be required to be on the floor when the reprimand resolution is read aloud. Censure is a symbolic reprimand that carries no fines or other penalties.

Ahead of the vote, Green is seemingly welcoming the rebuke from his Republican colleagues, framing the censure is for his actions "standing up to President Trump."

Representative Dan Newhouse, a moderate Republican from Washington, introduced the resolution to censure Green for a "breach of proper conduct."

The censure process used to be a rarity, but four House lawmakers have been publicly reprimanded by their colleagues in the last four years -- mostly in party-line votes -- for inappropriate social media posts, actions that a majority of the House found problematic, and disrupting a vote.

In 2009, Republican Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina faced a resolution of disapproval - a lesser form of punishment - after he shouted "You lie!" at Democratic President Barack Obama during an address to a joint session of Congress.

Since then, lawmakers have become more vocal as Republicans booed and shouted during former President Joe Biden's addresses and many Democrats on Tuesday followed suit and yelled during Trump's address.