Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) moved to censure Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) after a public confrontation with the Louisiana Republican about a racist post on X in which he called Haitians “thugs” and told them to “get their ass out of our country” before Inauguration Day.

Horsford: I'm making a motion to censure Clay Higgins by violating rule 9 by bringing discredit and disgrace to the House of Representatives. pic.twitter.com/bcgJX9bp9F

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 25, 2024

Horsford, the chair of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus, confronted Higgins about the post on the House floor. He and other Democrats explained how Haitian Americans in Springfield, Ohio, and across the U.S. have experienced security threats after former President Donald Trump repeated a baseless conspiracy theory during the presidential debate in early September that Haitian migrants in the Ohio town are kidnapping and eating pets.

In a since-deleted tweet from his official account Wednesday, Higgins repeated the conspiracy theory and went further.

Horsford said Higgins was unapologetic in their conversation on the floor — which is why he decided to pursue floor action. 

“He didn't, in my view, show any remorse,” he said in an interview with The Nevada Independent. “[He] didn't understand how his rhetoric is contributing to the feeling of people being harassed and threatened and feeling unsafe in their own communities.”

Horsford said he then asked Higgins to take the post down, but was rebuffed. After speaking to Republicans, including Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Higgins took the post down.

Horsford then spoke on the House floor, saying that he intended to bring a censure resolution against Higgins on the basis that he brought “discredit and disgrace” to the House of Representatives. Successful censure resolutions serve as a public rebuke of a member’s conduct; they are forced to stand on the floor and listen to the resolution be read aloud. Their use has increased in recent years as the House has become more polarized — Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) were all censured by the House in 2023.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) objected to Horsford’s motion, saying that the post had since been deleted and suggesting that Democrats had posted objectionable content as well. Horsford then drafted an official censure resolution and introduced it soon after.

“People have misrepresented and literally lied about the stories, gone on national news publications and fabricated complete stories,” Horsford said, explaining why deleting the post was not sufficient to him. “And now members are using their official platforms to further incite hate against a group of people that have done nothing wrong.”

Higgins’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Horsford said he plans to bring the measure back up when the House returns from its recess in November, and that he has the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Jeffries issued a statement calling the fifth-term representative a “conspiracy-peddling racial arsonist” who must be held accountable.

It’s not the first time the Nevadan has spoken out as CBC chairman against a Republican member about their comments on race. Horsford condemned Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) earlier this year for calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] hire” and Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) for using the term “colored people” while introducing an amendment on the House floor.