WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) issued the following statement:

“This week, there were yet more attempts to censure my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, for the things they said not only in Congress but also in their personal lives. Censures, brought forward as resolutions, are becoming an almost weekly occurrence. I don’t support these short-sighted efforts, and I want to take a moment to explain why,” said Houlahan.

“Rep. Rashida Tlaib used the phrase ‘from the river to the sea’ when referring to the ongoing war in Israel and Gaza. To many, this phrase expresses Hamas’ desire to destroy the State of Israel, and I wish Rep. Tlaib hadn’t defended this particular charged phrase. Rep. Brian Mast made an abhorrent and blanket comparison of innocent Palestinian civilians to ‘Nazi civilians.’ To be abundantly clear, I find the words of these colleagues to be irresponsible, wrong, and decidedly corrosive and divisive.”

“I want to believe that my colleagues don’t understand the full potential their platforms have to divide Americans and degrade our national sense of unity, possibly leading to violence. But, even if their actions were intentional, this nation was founded on essential freedoms, including speech and expression. As a veteran who has sworn the oath to defend the Constitution many times, I support those freedoms, even if I vehemently disagree with what’s being said.”

“These were not the first attempts to censure my colleagues in my career, and they will likely not be the last. Candidly, I’ve struggled during my time in Congress to find a way to manage an increasingly vitriolic and punitive House more constructively. After much thought, I’ve decided that, as a legislative body, we must stop the cycle of trying to score political points with censures. To be part of that solution, I did not support this week’s resolution.”

“I understand that there may be some Pennsylvanians in my community who disagree with my stance or votes. To those concerned Americans, please know I am committed to helping the House get back to the people’s work: funding the government, supporting our democratic allies, reducing costs for American consumers, addressing our broken immigration system, and more.”

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.

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