Ohio congressman accuses Tlaib of 'advocating for terrorists' in Lebanon debate

Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News on Jun 3, 2026

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WASHINGTON — A U.S. House debate over Rep. Rashida Tlaib's resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Lebanon devolved into personal attacks Wednesday night, with an Ohio Republican lawmaker accusing the Michigan Democrat of "advocating for terrorists on a daily basis" and advocating for "butchers" — a reference to the militant group Hezbollah.

Tlaib, who is the only Palestinian American member of Congress, shot back at GOP Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, angrily demanding that the words be taken down or stricken from the House record.

"That is a direct attack on my character," Tlaib said. "I please request, you must strike the words down."

The lawmaker presiding over the chamber, Rep. Jay Obernolte of California, requested that Miller be seated, setting off a process by which the parliamentarian weighed whether the remarks were a violation of House rules of decorum.

Obernolte, after consultation with the parliamentarian and a significant delay, ruled that Miller's words contained an allegation that "impugn the patriotism and loyalty of the member of the House, which is not in order ..."

Miller in punishment was prohibited from speaking on the floor for the rest of the day.

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., read a statement from Miller from the floor: "Yes, I said it. I own it. I stand by it."

The dustup started when Miller said that if Tlaib and her supporters on the Lebanon resolution really cared about Lebanon they would "cheer on" the elimination of "bloodthirsty" terrorists like Hezbollah that operate as proxies for the Iranian regime, rather than advancing "meaningless resolutions to denigrate American foreign policy."

"I can appreciate the passion for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I do not appreciate their lack of education and understanding of what is really going on there," Miller said.

"Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. ... Its members are butchers that you like to hang out with to a certain extent," he added in reference to Tlaib.

After Tlaib protested, Miller said, "I'm sorry. Are we getting a little emotional?"

"I certainly believe you advocate for them," Miller continued. "Yes, you advocate for terrorists on a daily basis. You advocate for a terrorist regime every single day."

Obernolte spoke over Miller and demanded the House come to order: "This is a serious topic. We will debate it respectfully and deliberately."

Tlaib then made the motion to take down Miller's words.

Her underlying resolution seeks to withdraw U.S. troops from Lebanon, arguing that "no specific statutory authorization for the use of United States Armed Forces with respect to the military action by Israel in Lebanon has been enacted."

Tlaib in pressing for her resolution said she wants to end the U.S. participation in Israel's assault on Lebanon, saying over 3,400 people have died since the start of the war, 1.2 million people have been displaced and critical civilian infrastructure and homes have been destroyed.

"This is not national security, Mr. Speaker. This is an ethnic cleansing campaign," Tlaib said on the floor, warning what happened in Gaza could happen in Lebanon. "The Israeli leaders and the Cabinet leaders are open about this."

She claimed the Trump administration is "illegally" participating in and supporting Israel's war in Lebanon by providing intelligence and other assistance.

Tlaib moved to force a vote on her resolution this week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, signaling further escalation of the war, Reuters reported.

Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, noted that Tlaib not once mentioned Hezbollah in her remarks or the 1,700 rockets that it's fired into Israel since April 7, nor the 15 Israelis killed in that time.

He argued the resolution is toothless because the U.S. has no troops engaged in hostilities in Lebanon.

"You're asking to remove U.S. troops in a country where we are not in conflict. Israel is killing terrorists, who — I just listed off all of the attacks that have gone on just since early April," Mast said. "But we are not in conflict there."

Tlaib stressed that her measure under the War Powers Act only applies to U.S. armed services engaged in hostilities and would not support U.S. training or support of Lebanese Armed Forces or the protection of U.S. diplomatic facilities.

She said 11 children are killed every 24 hours in Lebanon and asked Mast if those kids are terrorists.

Mast said a vote for the resolution would be a vote to support Iran, which is "a bad thing."

"We are not at war in Lebanon," he said. "I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and not be a proxy for Hezbollah."

A House vote on the resolution could happen as early as Thursday.

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