The U.S. House experienced at least 17 censure or disapproval attempts this year amid record‑setting floor drama and a prolonged shutdown. Only one censure — Rep. Dan Newhouse’s — passed, while bipartisan coalitions repeatedly defeated many other measures. High‑profile targets included Ilhan Omar, Stacey Plaskett (over Epstein texts), Cory Mills and Al Green, and lawmakers proposed rule changes to curb retaliatory censures.
Epstein Texts, Yelled-At Speeches and a Wave of Rebukes: The U.S. House’s Yearlong Censure Spree
A silhouette and a view of the US Capitol.Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
It has been an unusually fractious year in the U.S. House of Representatives: lawmakers set records for the longest floor speech and the longest vote, presided over the lengthiest government shutdown, and repeatedly moved to formally rebuke colleagues through censure and related disapproval measures.
A review of public records shows at least 17 formal attempts since the start of the year to condemn a member of Congress by censure or a similar resolution. While a successful censure requires a House majority, its penalty is symbolic: the targeted lawmaker must stand before the House dais while the speaker announces the rebuke, but the member retains their seat and voting rights. Still, the reputational damage can be significant.
Why So Many Censure Attempts?
The torrent of proposals — from both parties — reflected heightened partisan tensions and personal grievances. By year’s end, bipartisan lawmakers sought to tighten the rules, arguing the chamber had fallen into a pattern of retaliatory “circular firing squads.” Republican Rep. Don Bacon was among the sponsors of a rules change intended to make censures harder to pass.
Notable Targets And Episodes
Robert Garcia: The first censure attempt of the year, filed by Republican Nancy Mace in February, accused Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia of "inciting violence against a special government employee" — a reference to Elon Musk. The resolution cited comments in committee and to CNN; the House never voted on it.
Al Green: In March, Democrat Rep. Al Green loudly interrupted a joint session address by former President Donald Trump while waving a cane and declaring Trump had "no mandate." Speaker Mike Johnson ordered Green removed. Three Republicans filed censure resolutions; Washington Republican Dan Newhouse’s measure later passed with all Republicans and 10 Democrats voting in favor. Green’s colleagues sang "We Shall Overcome" as the censure was read.
Lauren Boebert and Jasmine Crockett: Four days after Green was censured, Democrat Chrissy Houlahan sought to censure Republican Lauren Boebert for remarks calling Green’s cane a "pimp cane"; the measure was not considered on the floor. In March, Republican Randy Weber proposed censuring Democrat Jasmine Crockett for derogatory comments about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott; that resolution also did not reach a vote.
LaMonica McIver: After McIver was arrested following an altercation outside an ICE facility, Republicans filed censure resolutions — one introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins was brought to the floor and defeated when Democrats joined with a few Republicans to reject it. Small bipartisan coalitions like this repeatedly stymied censure attempts during the year.
Andy Ogles: The Tennessee Republican faced two censure attempts over discriminatory social-media comments about incoming NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and for a slur aimed at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Neither measure was brought to a vote.
Ilhan Omar: Following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Rep. Nancy Mace moved to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar and seek her removal from two committees, alleging disparaging comments about Kirk and mourners. Democrats defeated the motion with help from a handful of Republicans; GOP Rep. Jeff Hurd said that while he found the comments "ghoulish and evil," silencing speech was the wrong remedy.
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez vs. Chuy Garcia: In November, amid a critical vote to end the shutdown, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez accused fellow Democrat Rep. Chuy Garcia of engineering his retirement to benefit his chief of staff. Her disapproval resolution, which was not technically a censure, passed with most Republicans and 23 Democrats voting in favor and triggered intra-party outrage.
Stacey Plaskett and Epstein Texts: As the House moved to compel release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a report revealed that non-voting delegate Stacey Plaskett had exchanged texts with Epstein during a 2019 hearing. Rep. Ralph Norman introduced a censure resolution; it failed after unified Democratic opposition and three Republicans voting against it.
Cory Mills and Accusations Of Backroom Deals: Florida Republican Cory Mills was the subject of three censure efforts. Democrat Yvette Clarke filed measures alleging misconduct, which Mills denied; one was withdrawn when some Republicans joined Democrats to block the Omar censure. Later procedural moves — including referring a Mace resolution against Mills to the Ethics Committee — prompted allegations from some Republican women that House leaders struck a deal to protect Mills in exchange for killing the Plaskett censure.
What It Says About The House
The year’s censure spree illustrated how symbolic disciplinary tools can be weaponized in partisan fights. Although almost none of the attempts succeeded, the frequency of filings — and recurring cross‑party votes to block them — led many lawmakers to question whether the rules encourage retaliation rather than restraint.
Bottom line: At least 17 censure or disapproval attempts underscored deep divisions in the House, produced only one successful censure, and spurred bipartisan proposals to change House rules to limit episodic, retaliatory rebukes.
