The House is lining up a final vote to censure Rep. Jamaal Bowman for triggering a fire alarm after Republicans defeated a Democratic-led effort to block the measure.
The full vote on the formal reprimand is expected on Thursday.
Bowman has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for pulling the fire alarm in a House office building during a chaotic vote on government funding at the end of September, though he’s maintained it was not intended to disrupt the House proceedings. He’d also agreed to pay the maximum fine, but some House Republicans demanded the House further punish the progressive lawmaker. The House Ethics Committee, which is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, has declined to take any further action on Bowman.
If censured, Bowman will be the second Democrat to receive the formal reprimand in recent months after the House voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) over her vocal criticism of the Israeli government. House Republicans also voted earlier this year to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for his handling of investigations into former President Donald Trump.
