On January 4, 2021, the House of Representatives censured Democrat Jamaal Bowman of New York for his actions in pulling a fire alarm at the Capitol complex involving a police chase. Bowman, a freshman House member, pulled the alarm in December 2020 as he was being pursued by police during a security breach near the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
In a mostly party-line vote, House Republicans voted 219-1 to adopt a resolution introduced by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), condemning Bowman’s behavior.
“The reckless and dangerous conduct by U.S. Representative Bowman endangered the safety of the members, staff, visitors, and law enforcement of the United States Capitol,” Steube said.
Bowman apologized afterwards, saying that he did not know that his action would cause such concern and that he was unaware he had pulled a fire alarm. He said he did not intend to disrupt the Capitol complex or hinder the Capitol Police from performing their duties. He expressed regret for his actions and said he would accept the censure.
In response to the resolution, House Democrats said they were disappointed that Republicans had chosen to focus on Bowman instead of addressing the security breakdown that allowed an intruder into the Capitol complex.
The censure is the first of its kind since 2006, when the House censured Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) for disclosing confidential information about a classified matters to an Israeli official.
