Green unveiled a sign on Tuesday night that read, “Black people are not apes,” a reference to Trump’s widely denounced Truth Social video depicting the Obamas as monkeys, but House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) pushed it away. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Troy Nehls (R-TX) also tried to rip the sign away, but Green managed to hang on to it.

After a House chamber staffer spoke to Green, the congressman was ejected from the State of the Union just a handful of minutes into the president’s speech.

Green was removed from the chamber during Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress last March after he stood up and waved his cane at Trump, shouting, “You have no mandate.”

A censure is a formal rebuke by a vote in the House and often carries consequences, such as the member losing committee assignments. Rulli’s censure resolution would not appear to remove Green from any of his committees.

There have been two successful censures in the 119th Congress: one against Green and another against Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL), who was accused of election subversion by a fellow Democrat.

Any member can force a quick vote on a censure resolution by making it “privileged,” which allows them to sidestep GOP leadership on bills it would otherwise oppose.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Tuesday night after the State of the Union that he does not know if “censure is going to be appropriate.”

“I’ll let our colleagues decide that. … The point of a censure is to bring someone to the House floor and bring shame upon them for their actions,” Johnson said. “I think they showed the American people the shame already.”

RISE IN CENSURES HIGHLIGHT HYPERPARTISANSHIP IN HOUSE: ‘GOD-AWFUL MESS’

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed fatigue over the frequent use of censures, something that used to be a rare reprimand for the most serious misdemeanors. Now, it’s an increasingly common political practice wielded by both parties to condemn their colleagues.

In November 2025, there were four censure votes in one week. Previous Congresses barely faced one censure, let alone four in one week, which strategists say is indicative of the breakdown in procedure and decorum in the House.