Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, left, watches during his ceremonial swearing-in on Capitol Hill Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

By David Skolnick

Special to The Times

YOUNGSTOWN — U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, introduced a resolution to formally censure Democratic Congressman Al Green for his protest against President Donald Trump at Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

During the address, Green, of Texas, waved a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes” in protest to a racist video posted on Trump’s Truth Social account earlier this month and later removed that depicted former Democratic President Barack Obama and former first lady Michael Obama, who are both black, as apes. Trump has refused to apologize. The White House said a staffer posted the video erroneously.

Green was removed from the address for the second straight year. Last year he was ejected for standing and shaking his cane towards Trump.

Rulli, whose district includes Mahoning and Columbiana counties, said of Green: “His shenanigans at the State of the Union were uncalled for. We can’t really put up with that kind of conduct in Congress. Something had to be done. I’m looking for as many cosponsors from our conference as possible. And I’m reaching across the aisle for anyone over there that was embarrassed by their own guy.”

Rulli’s resolution states Green “disrupted” the address and his behavior was “a breach of proper conduct.”

The House voted to censure Green in March 2025 for the protest at the last State of the Union address.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, declined to commit to a censure of Green.

After being ejected, Green said, “Judging from the expression on (Trump’s) face, he got the message. He saw it, he got the message.”

Rulli on Oct. 10 introduced the “Italian Heroes and Heritage Act” that would punish any local or state government that celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day. On July 10, he introduced a resolution to designate July 13 as “Faith and Defiance Day” to honor Trump’s “unshakable courage in the face of life-threatening hatred” during an assassination attempt on that date in 2024 in Butler, Pa.

Neither piece of legislation has a cosponsor or has received a hearing.

Rulli on June 11 introduced the Giving Alien Migrants Back Through Lawful Excise Redistribution (GAMBLER) Act to redirect an estimated $300 million in federal gambling taxes from the U.S. Treasury to Immigration and Custom Enforcement for enforcement, detention and deportation operations.

The bill was consponsored by U.S. Rep. Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary. Neither committee has held a hearing on it.

Regarding Trump’s address, Rulli said it “made one thing clear, America is back. We are cutting taxes for hard-working families, standing up for American manufacturing and energy, securing our border, and restoring strength at home and abroad. The people of Ohio’s 6th District want safety, affordability and opportunity, and that is exactly what we are fighting for.”