Government shutdown: Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulls fire alarm before House vote

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in the House Cannon office building on Saturday before a vote was taken on a stopgap spending bill, leading to a pair of investigations.

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Bowman, 47, a New York Democrat who has represented the state’s 16th congressional district since 2021, came under fire as his party was attempting to delay the vote on the bill to give members time to fully read the 71-page proposal, The New York Times reported.

That prompted an evacuation of the building as investigations by the Capitol Police and the House Administration Committee, according to the newspaper.

Sarah Iddrissu, the congressman’s chief of staff, confirmed in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, had pulled alarm but did not say why or whether it was an intentional action, the Times reported.

According to the representative’s office, Bowman said the incident was an accident, CNN reported.

“I was trying to get to a door,” Bowman told reporters. “I thought the alarm would open the door and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident.

“I was just trying to get to my vote and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,”

Bowman denied that his actions were a stalling tactic, according to The Associated Press.

Paul Starks, a spokesperson for the Capitol Police, said that “an investigation into what happened and why continues,” the Times reported.

Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., the chairman of the House Administration Committee said in a statement that the committee has opened an inquiry into the incident, according to the newspaper.

The bill passed the House by a 335-91 margin; Bowman was one of 209 Democrats to vote in favor of the bill.

At a news conference after the bill passed, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested that Bowman pulled the alarm to delay the proceedings, the Times reported.

“When we found that an individual elected to Congress would pull a fire alarm, that’s a new low,” McCarthy told reporters.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., drafted a motion to expel Mr. Bowman from the House, according to her office.

“This is the United States Congress, not a New York City high school,” Malliotakis wrote on X. “To pull the fire alarm to disrupt proceedings when we are trying to draft legislation to AVERT A SHUTDOWN is pathetic.”

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Michigan, told CNN she is circulating a resolution to censure Bowman over the incident.

Bowman scoffed at the idea.

“They’re gonna do what they do,” Bowman told reporters. “This is what they do.”