Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday, about an hour before the House passed a stopgap measure to fund the government ahead of the midnight deadline.
The fire alarm caused the building to be evacuated.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) drafted a resolution, shared by Axios, on Saturday to expel Bowman from the House for his actions.
“This is the United States Congress, not a New York City high school,” Malliotakis posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “To pull the fire alarm to disrupt proceedings when we are trying to draft legislation to AVERT A SHUTDOWN is pathetic…even for members of the socialist squad.”
It is unclear if Bowman may have broken the law, as falsely pulling a fire alarm is a misdemeanor in the District of Columbia.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) told The Hill that the congressman was likely attempting to delay the vote. But, Bowman’s office said the alarm was accidental.
“Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “The Congressman regrets any confusion.”
House Administration Committee Chairman Brian Steil (R-Wis.) said he will launch an investigation into the incident.
Not long after the Cannon building was cleared, members of Congress voted to advance a bill to fund the government, sending it to the Senate. Lawmakers have until midnight Sunday morning to avert a government shutdown.
The stopgap measure, which continues the current federal budget for 45 days but removes funding to support the war in Ukraine, passed on a bipartisan 335-91 vote. Bowman voted in favor of the resolution.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Senate Republicans would support the House bill.
Source : The Hill
