GOP wants Rep. Jamaal Bowman Punished After he Triggered a Fire Alarm on Saturday – Rep. Jamaal Bowman from New York has stated that on Saturday afternoon, he inadvertently set off a fire alarm in a congressional office building just as elected officials were getting ready to vote on a spending bill aimed at preventing a potential government shutdown. Republicans have accused Bowman of attempting to stall the vote and have demanded consequences.
However, the Democratic representative explained in a statement that the incident took place while he was hurrying to cast his vote and reached a door that is typically open but happened to be closed. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door,” he said. “I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused.”
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Bowman emphasized that he was not attempting to hold up the House vote. “It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open.” According to The Associated Press, the fire alarm went off just as House Democrats were looking to postpone a vote on the 71-page temporary spending proposal presented by Republicans.
They hoped to gain more time to thoroughly review the bill.Ultimately, both chambers approved the spending bill on Saturday, and President Biden signed it shortly before the midnight deadline, averting a government shutdown. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, suggested that Bowman intentionally activated the fire alarm with the goal of causing a government shutdown.
He called for a review of the incident by the House Ethics Committee. McCarthy also alluded to the evenKevin McCarthyts of January 6, 2021, when rioters stormed the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. “When you think of how other people are treated when they wanted to come in and change the course of what was happening in this building,” McCarthy said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, said on Saturday that he hadn’t seen the video of Bowman pulling the fire alarm and “until I see the video I’ll have no further comment.” Paul Starks, the spokesperson for the United States Capitol Police, reported that a fire alarm was triggered at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, specifically on the second floor of the Cannon House Office Building.
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Starks mentioned that USCP officers immediately commenced an evacuation and conducted a thorough inspection of the building. “The building was reopened after it was determined that there was not a threat,” Starks said. “An investigation into what happened and why continues.” Bowman said he met with the Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police after the vote to explain what occurred.