The House of Representatives will vote Thursday on punishing one of their own, this time a far-Left Democrat.
New York’s Jamaal Bowman, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, came intro Congress as a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Now, he may be censured for triggering a fire alarm in one of the U.S. Capitol office buildings in September when the chamber was in session.
All the while, Bowman is facing a primary challenge from a more pro-Israel Democrat, a further sign of infighting in Congress.
It hasn’t been a good week for Jamaal Bowman.
If the Republican censure resolution passes, the prominent progressive will become the third Democratic House member to be admonished this year through the process, which is a punishment one step below expulsion from the House.
While the censure of a lawmaker carries no practical effect, it’s severely humiliating. Lawmakers who are censured are usually asked to stand in the well of the House as the censure resolution against them is read aloud in front of their colleagues.
Bowman said that he’s since taken accountability for his actions.
“No matter the result of the censure vote tomorrow, my constituents know I will always continue to fight for them,” Bowman said Wednesday during a floor debate.
“It’s painfully obvious to myself, my colleagues and the American people that the Republican Party is deeply unserious and unable to legislate… Their censure resolution against me today continues to demonstrate their inability to govern and serve the American people.”
Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich. — who introduced the censure resolution — claimed Bowman pulled the alarm to “cause chaos and the stop the House from doing its business” as lawmakers scrambled to pass a bill to fund the government before a shutdown deadline.
“It is reprehensible that a Member of Congress would go to such lengths to prevent House Republicans from bringing forth a vote to keep the government operating and Americans receiving their paychecks,” McClain said in a statement.
Bowman pleaded guilty in October to a misdemeanor count for the incident that took place in the Cannon House Office Building. He agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and serve three months of probation, after which the false fire alarm charge is expected to be dismissed from his record under an agreement with prosecutors.
The fire alarm prompted a building-wide evacuation when the House was in session and staffers were working in the building. The building was reopened an hour later after Capitol Police determined there was no threat.
Bowman apologized and said that at the time he was trying to get through a door that was usually open but was closed that day because it was the weekend.
Many progressive Democrats, who spoke in his defense, called the Republican effort to censure him “unserious.” Some Democrats even called the resolution racist.
“This censure is just the latest in this chamber’s racist history of telling Black men that they don’t belong in Congress,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. D-Mass.
However, other Democrats have stopped defending Bowman altogether, given his stances on the Israel-Hamas War.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer is even mounting a primary challenge. Latimer announced his candidacy Wednesday for the New York district, which covers parts of the north Bronx and Westchester suburbs.
Bowman is one of the House’s most vocal critics of Israel, and Jewish community leaders have been encouraging Latimer to run since the eruption of the latest Israel-Hamas war. The 70-year-old launched his campaign with an ad criticizing Bowman’s stance on the conflict as well as his opposition to a major Democratic infrastructure bill.
“It’s the continual commentary from people who live in the district who feel that they are not represented properly from the incumbent,” Latimer said in an interview with the Associated Press. “His focus has been to make a national name for himself.”
Bowman, unlike some Democrats, has condemned antisemitism and Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. He’s even left the Democratic Socialists of America due to disagreements with the group’s policy of boycotting Israel.
On the other hand, he’s also been critical of U.S. military aid to Israel, and he’s made inflammatory statements.
“By me calling for a cease-fire with my colleagues and centering humanity, I am uplifting deeply what it actually means to be Jewish,” Bowman reportedly said at a ceasefire rally.
His remarks were described as “presumptuous.”
Last month, Bowman was among only a few House members who opposed a resolution supporting the recently attacked Israel. “I don’t believe it gives us a path forward to peace and justice for all people,” Bowman said of the resolution. He made the remarks at a rally for a cease-fire.
All in all, Bowman is facing challenges both from Democrats in his district and his Republican colleagues.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contribtued to this article.