In a highly partisan move, the House of Representatives voted to censure Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman on Thursday for triggering a fire alarm in a U.S. Capitol office building while the chamber was in session. The Republican-led censure resolution passed with a few Democratic votes, marking the third censure of a Democratic House member this year.

Bowman's actions, which occurred in September, led to a buildingwide evacuation and disrupted the legislative proceedings as lawmakers were working to pass a bill to fund the government before a shutdown deadline. The incident took place in the Cannon House Office Building and resulted in Bowman pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, he was fined $1,000 and sentenced to three months of probation, after which the false fire alarm charge is expected to be dismissed from his record.

The censure resolution, introduced by Republican Representative Lisa McClain of Michigan, accused Bowman of deliberately causing chaos to impede the House from conducting its business. McClain defended the resolution, stating that it was "reprehensible" for a Member of Congress to go to such lengths to prevent House Republicans from bringing forth a vote to keep the government operating.

During the floor debate, Bowman stood up for himself, calling the Republican Party "deeply unserious and unable to legislate" and criticizing their inability to govern and serve the American people. Many progressive Democrats spoke in his defense, labeling the Republican effort to censure him as "unserious" and accusing them of weaponizing the censure process against Democrats for political gain.

The 214-191 vote to censure Bowman highlights the ongoing chaos and retribution in the House of Representatives over the past year. The chamber has witnessed several punitive actions, including the removal of a member from a committee assignment, the unprecedented ouster of a speaker, and the expulsion of a lawmaker for only the third time since the Civil War.

This censure vote reflects Democrats' concerns about the increasing use of censure as a partisan tool. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the effort, stating, "It has no credibility. No integrity. No legitimacy. Censure me next, and I'll take that censure and I'll wear it next week, next month, next year like a badge of honor."

While a censure carries no practical effect, it serves as a severe reproach from colleagues. Lawmakers who are censured are typically asked to stand in the well of the House as the censure resolution against them is read aloud. Bowman now joins the ranks of the 27 individuals who have been censured by the chamber, becoming the third representative censured this year. In the previous censure votes, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan was rebuked for her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war, and Rep. Adam Schiff of California was censured for comments he made regarding investigations into President Donald Trump's ties to Russia.