Progressive 'Squad' Democrat accused of pulling fire alarm amid tense shutdown talks

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Progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., pulled a fire alarm in one of the House of Representatives’ three office buildings amid a chaotic morning as lawmakers scrambled to avert a government shutdown.

Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said the matter is being investigated now. Sources told Fox News and Fox News Digital that Bowman is being questioned by the Capitol Police's criminal investigation unit.

"Rep. Jamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning. An investigation into why it was pulled is underway," Steil said in a statement. 

Bowman's chief of staff wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote. The Congressman regrets any confusion."

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Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Sources said the incident was caught on camera, though video was not immediately available to Fox News Digital.

It happened just after House Republicans announced they would rush a stopgap spending bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) to the House floor on Saturday, just as the Senate is weighing its own CR as well. 

Democrats were caught off-guard by the announcement and complained the GOP was not giving them enough time to properly read the bill, which is over 70 pages long. 

The bill wound up passing with the support of all but one House Democrat.

GOP lawmakers seized on the incident immediately after the vote and as news of Bowman's actions spread. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called for an ethics committee investigation into the matter.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, speaks to members of the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Image)

"This is an embarrassment. You're elected to be a member of Congress. He pulled a fire alarm in the… hours before the government being shut down, trying to dictate that government would shut down. What's going through a person's mind like that? But we will find the right ability to deal with this," McCarthy said.

Others called for his censure and even expulsion. And some suggested he should be prosecuted for falsely triggering a fire alarm — a misdemeanor in Washington, D.C. penal code punishable by a fine or up to 6 months jail.

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"Jamaal, are you ready?" Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, wrote on social media along with a photo of himself holding handcuffs.

Bowman himself told reporters he mistakenly thought he was opening a door by pulling the fire alarm.