Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) was rebuked on the House floor on Wednesday after accusing Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) of supporting Hezbollah during debate over her War Powers resolution concerning U.S. forces in Lebanon.
Tlaib’s measure would direct the president to withdraw U.S. armed forces from Southern Lebanon, arguing the United States is acting without congressional authorization by providing intelligence and coordinating activities related to Israel’s military actions against Hezbollah, which is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
During the floor exchange, Miller described Hezbollah as the “butchers that you like to hang out with to a certain extent.”
“You advocate for terrorists on a daily basis,” Miller said to Tlaib, adding, “You advocate for a terrorist regime every single day.”
Tlaib, a Palestinian American and outspoken critic of Israel, objected and demanded that the remarks be struck, calling them “a direct attack on my character.”
Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), who was presiding over the chamber, ruled after consulting the House parliamentarian that Miller’s words “contain an allegation” that Tlaib “is a butcher and affiliated with a terrorist organization,” adding that “such remarks impugn the patriotism and loyalty of the member of the House, which is not in order.”
Obernolte ordered the remarks stricken from the record and barred Miller from speaking for the remainder of the day.
Miller stood by his comments afterward, with Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reading a statement on the floor in which Miller wrote, “Yes, I said it. I own it. I stand by it.” Mast chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Miller later posted on social media that his “words may have been removed from the record, but Tlaib should be removed from Congress.”
The exchange reflects a long-running feud between the two lawmakers. In 2023, Miller introduced a resolution to censure Tlaib, accusing her of failing to condemn antisemitism and promoting rhetoric he said fueled hatred against Jewish Americans.
That same year, the House, with support from Republican members and 22 Democrats, voted to censure Tlaib over her criticism of Israel following the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. Her comments included referring to Israel as a perpetrator of genocide in Gaza, blaming U.S. aid for Oct. 7 and promoting use of the phrase “from the river to the sea,” widely regarded as a call for the elimination of Israel.
In arguing against Tlaib’s resolution on Wednesday, Miller stated that America holds “a vital role in advancing peace, security, and stability in Lebanon” and that the true threat is “the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxy Hezbollah, not the United States, and not Israel.”
He countered that if Tlaib and the resolution’s cosponsors “actually cared about the people of Lebanon,” they would “cheer on the elimination of these bloodthirsty terrorists,” rather than “advancing meaningless resolutions to denigrate American foreign policy.”
Though a vote on Tlaib’s resolution is expected soon, its prospects in the House remained uncertain, especially as a U.S.-brokered agreement between Israel and Lebanon to drive Hezbollah out of Southern Lebanon was announced on Wednesday.
