A House Republican effort to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only active member of Congress of Palestinian-Amerian descent, failed Wednesday evening, as tensions in Congress continue to flare over Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip.
A Democrat-led motion to table the resolution was adopted, 222 to 186, with help of 23 Republicans who voted with all Democrats to kill the measure.
Tlaib’s calls for a ceasefire and her criticism of the United States supplying arms to Israel have been lightning rods for GOP criticism, as Republicans pursue a $14 billion aid package for Israel. The censure resolution—introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)—accuses Tlaib of “antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations, and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex.”
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The false “insurrection” charge in Greene’s resolution refers to Tlaib addressing an anti-war demonstration led by Jewish advocacy groups last month before they entered a House office building. Capitol Police made over 300 arrests in connection with the protest. But in a stark difference from the Jan. 6 riots which Greene’s resolution attempted to trivialize, protestors were in public spaces in a House office building—they did not break into the Capitol or violently push past police.
(Greene faced her own censure vote Wednesday—introduced by Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT)—for fanning the flames of “racism, antisemitism, LGBTQ hate speech, Islamophobia, anti-Asian hate, xenophobia, and other forms of hatred.”)
The failed censure vote spared Tlaib from having to stand on the House floor as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) read out Greene’s list of grievances against Tlaib.
In a statement, Tlaib rebuked Greene’s resolution as “deeply Islamaphobic” and said Greene’s language “attacks peaceful Jewish anti-war advocates.”
“I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced,” Tlaib said. “I will continue to call for ceasefire, for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, for the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and for every American to be brought home.”
Earlier this year, the House Republicans led a censure vote against Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) for his role in investigations into former President Donald Trump. Schiff has since turned the disciplinary ordeal into a fundraising juggernaut.
