Republican-Led House Censures Rep. Jamaal Bowman Over Fire Alarm Fiasco
The Republican-controlled House voted on Thursday to censure Rep. Jamaal Bowman for pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol office building while the chamber was in session—a misdemeanor charge to which the New York Democrat pleaded guilty earlier this fall.
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) introduced the censure resolution on Dec. 5, marking the third time a member has been formally admonished this year. Disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) filed a resolution in late November to expel Bowman from Congress, but it expired when the truth-averse legislator was himself thrown out of office last week. A censure amounts to a public reprimand but does not carry any actual penalty, such as expulsion.
The vote hewed close to party lines, save for three Democrats—Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington—who voted for the measure.