On Sunday, The New York Post posted an article about Rep. Jamaal Bowman‘s pulling the fire alarm while the U.S. House of Representatives was voting on a bill to prevent a government shutdown.
The article reports:
He (Representative Bowman) posted on X Friday: “Republican math is causing a catastrophic shutdown that will force millions of working people to go without pay or lifesaving benefits and calling it ‘fiscal responsibility.’”
He condemned Republicans for being “so unserious.”
The next day, Bowman got serious by seeking to sabotage budget negotiations by pulling the fire alarm in a House office building.
Bowman’s disruption occurred just as Democratic congressional leaders were stalling for time.
Instead of the old question of “Why did the chicken cross the road?” the new mystery is: “Why did the boneheaded congressman pull the fire alarm?”
Bowman’s chief of staff Sarah Iddrissu claimed he “did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote.”
This Representative was a school principal and he doesn’t know what a fire alarm looks like?
The article also notes:
Theoretically, Bowman could face the same harsh penalty as Jan. 6 protesters — who have been sent to prison for years for obstructing an official proceeding.
After the incident, Bowman spoke with Capitol Police. Was Bowman’s statement videotaped? If so, can we lowly private citizens view the “progressive highlights of 2023” tape?
It will be interesting to see exactly what the penalty Representative Bowman will face for his actions. It is also interesting that a Democrat did not want to see the bill passed that would avoid a government shutdown. That is an indication to me that the Democrats see a shutdown as something that will benefit them politically (they can blame it on the Republicans). However, most Americans are concerned about the amount of money the government is spending and the amount of money the government is sending overseas. The debate next month when the current deal expires is going to be very interesting.