**The US House of Representatives has voted to rebuke Joe Wilson, the Republican lawmaker who heckled President Barack Obama during a speech.**Mr Wilson shouted out “You lie” while Mr Obama was a delivering an address on healthcare to a joint session of both houses of Congress last week.
The House resolution of disapproval described Mr Wilson’s conduct as “a breach of decorum”.
Lawmakers voted 240-179 in favour of the resolution.
‘Civility’
The move was backed by most Democrats, but dismissed by many Republicans as a distraction from more serious issues.
“My goodness, we could be doing this every day of the week,” said Republican Minority Leader John Boehner.
MARDELL’S AMERICA
“*Weeks of mutterings are now out there, in the open, on the front page of the Washington Post - the allegation is that the fury towards the president that has been seen at town-hall meetings and tea party protests is in part motivated by racism *”
Mark Mardell
BBC North America Editor
But Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer insisted that Mr Wilson’s outburst could not be ignored.
“At issue is whether we are able to proceed with a degree of civility and decorum that our rules and our democracy contemplate and require,” he said.
Mr Wilson himself maintained that his personal apology to Mr Obama should have been enough to resolve the matter.
Mr Obama “graciously accepted my apology and the issue is over,” he said.
Mr Wilson’s remark came in response to a passage of Mr Obama’s speech in which he asserted that illegal immigrants would not be eligible for federal subsidies to buy health coverage.
Experts concur that under the terms of Mr Obama’s reform package undocumented immigrants would not be able to claim healthcare subsidies.