The House of Representatives voted Thursday to censure Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who disrupted a congressional vote by pulling a fire alarm, the Daily Wire reported. The final vote was 214-191, with three Democrats joining the GOP majority.
Twenty-three members did not vote, while four Democrats and a single Republican voted "present." The Democrats who voted to censure included Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp of Washington, Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.
"At the end of the day, Representative Bowman broke the law … the resolution was a straightforward condemnation of his actions, and I voted yes," Pappas explained his vote in a statement. It's notable that Pappas, Gluesenkamp, and Hays all hail from swing districts.
The censure came after Bowman was accused of intentionally activating a fire alarm in a congressional office building to delay a contentious vote. He attempted to claim it was an honest mistake.
However, a criminal investigation resulted in Bowman pleading to a misdemeanor, though he denies it had anything to do with stopping a vote. The House Ethics Committee has not investigated the matter, however.
Still, Michigan GOP Rep. Lisa McClain introduced a resolution to censure Bowman earlier this week. Following the vote that went her way, McClain took to X, formerly Twitter, to celebrate the outcome.
"We are a nation of laws, and when someone breaks those laws, they deserve to be held accountable. Today, the House censured Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who pulled a fire alarm to obstruct the work of Congress," McClain wrote.
"Actions have consequences, and no one is above the law," McClain said in her post. Predictably, House Democrats were outraged over the punishment.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called the censure "worthless" and noted that Bowman was already fined for his role. Bowman also dismissed the move as unnecessary and called it an "insult" to his constituents.
"Unfortunately, Republicans are here trying to rehash an already litigated matter, a matter in which the Republican-controlled House committee of ethics decided to not proceed with any further investigation. This is an insult to the people I was elected to represent," Bowman said Wednesday after Democrats' failed attempt to table the vote.
Thursday's vote was the 27th time a House member has been censured. Although it's mostly symbolic and involves only a verbal chastisement, the censure comes at a tough time for Bowman.
The "Squad" member is facing a contentious reelection bid and is in danger of being bumped out in the Democratic primary, Fox News reported. This comes after he already ruffled feathers in his own party by calling for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The ally of America is defending itself against the aggressions of the terrorist organization Hamas. Despite denouncing the attacks, Bowman has chosen this time to defend Rep. Pramila Jayapal after she called Israel a "racist state."
It was correct to censure Bowman, considering his reckless behavior in pulling a fire alarm when no emergency existed. Now the matter is the hands of voters who will decide whether he's the type of person they want leading them, and they have proof that his colleagues aren't convinced that he's fit for office.
