WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives is headed for a confrontational vote Wednesday on whether to punish Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the Palestinian American in Congress, for her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war.
A vote on whether to censure Tlaib, a lesser punishment than expulsion from the House, advanced in a procedural vote on Tuesday. Republican Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia proposed the censorship solution in reaction to what he calls Tlaib’s promotion of anti-Semitic rhetoric. .
“It is unfortunate that my colleagues are more interested in silencing me than saving lives, when the death toll in Gaza exceeds 10,000,” Tlaib said in a statement. “Many of them have shown me that the lives of Palestinians just don’t matter to us. “But I still don’t understand their rhetoric or their actions. “
The censorship crusade paves the way for a dramatic vote in the House amid political tensions over the deadly war between Israel and Hamas. While most of both parties have traditionally sided firmly with Israel, divisions have emerged within the Democratic Party since the outbreak of the war.
Some on the left have criticized President Joe Biden’s stance and suggested that he impose situations on the United States on behalf of Israel, as his competitive military crusade increases the Palestinian death toll throughout the day.
While the vote against Tlaib will occur in a normal context, the preference for censuring her is part of a developing trend in the House.
Censorship has long been considered a punishment of last resort, applied only in the case of grossly egregious offenses. But no-confidence resolutions have temporarily become commonplace in the House, used in strangely partisan ways. Even if censorship in itself has no practical effect, it leaves an ancient mark that marks a legislator’s career.
An immediate fix through Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. , seeking to censure Tlaib, is also scheduled for a procedural vote Tuesday night. Both of these distrust solutions are “privileged,” which is a procedural tool that lawmakers can use to bypass leaders. and committees and force votes in the House.
Tlaib, one of two Muslim women in the House, has long been the target of Republican attacks for her critical views of the Israeli government and its solution to Palestinians in the region.
Such denunciation reached new heights after the October 7 attack by the Hamas terror group, which left many Israelis dead and dozens wounded. Tlaib, who has relatives in the West Bank, came under heavy complaints after failing to immediately condemn Hamas. after the attack.
Soon after, Greene, the far-right congresswoman from Georgia, presented a solution accusing Tlaib of “anti-Semitic activity” after expressing fear about the continued U. S. role in supplying weapons to Israel as it engages in a bloody war with Hamas.
Greene also falsely accused Tlaib of “leading an insurrection” on Capitol grounds when she participated in a pro-Gaza rally organized through Jewish advocacy teams last month.