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The last twelve months in the U.S. House has entered the annals of history. Lawmakers broke new marks for the most extended oration and the longest vote, and oversaw the most extended federal funding lapse.

They also allocated significant time seeking to reprimand each other through formal condemnation measures, the chamber's official mechanism for punishment. A review of congressional records shows at least 17 moves since the year's beginning to condemn another lawmaker via a censure or a more informal statement of disapproval.

If a censure motion is adopted by a majority of the chamber, the targeted lawmaker is required to stand before the House dais as the chair announces to them that they face formal condemnation for their misconduct. This constitutes the actual penalties – they maintain their position and their voting privileges, but potentially damaging their reputation.

Though almost none of these were successful, the flood became so pronounced that by the conclusion of the session, a bipartisan group proposed changing the rules to create a higher bar for censures to succeed. “How about we stop the mutual recrimination in the House?” inquired one of the measure's authors.

Here’s a look at the alleged misdeeds at the heart of the wave of reprimands:

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Labeling a Individual a ‘Offensive Name’

The initial reprimand motion of the year came in February targeting a Democrat lawmaker. The resolution accused the member of “encouraging hostility against a special government employee”. The resolution referenced an instance during a committee hearing where the congressperson uttered a crude remark about the person in a particularly creative manner, as well as a follow-up remark about bringing “actual weapons” to a ideological conflict. The House ultimately did not holding a vote on the resolution.

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Shouting at the Chief Executive

In the midst of a presentation to a meeting of Congress, a Democratic representative heckled the nation's leader, yelling “the people did not grant him authority” while pumping a walking cane in the air. The presiding officer had the individual forcibly removed. Following this, a number of reprimand motions were introduced targeting him. Two days later, the legislature voted for one of these resolutions, with a number of members of the disruptor's own party supporting it alongside the opposing party. This remains the sole condemnation to gain formal adoption during the year.

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Resorting to Ethnic Tropes

Just days after the aforementioned condemnation, a motion was filed against a lawmaker for comments made about the individual who was reprimanded. The proposal accused the official of using language that was “insulting, demeaning, and bigoted toward another member of Congress”. This proposal was not a vote on the House floor.

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Making light of a State Executive's Physical Condition

Another condemnation attempt centered on alleged derogatory comments made by a representative about a chief executive who has been paralyzed. The comments were considered profoundly inappropriate and resulted in a disciplinary motion that also failed to reach a vote.

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Altercation with Federal Agents

Multiple censure resolutions were proposed against a congresswoman after she was taken into custody and indicted following an altercation outside a federal detention facility. One of these motions was debated in the House, but was defeated thanks to a coalition of opposing party members and a handful of representatives from the party that introduced it. This marked the first of several instances where members defied party loyalty to block a reprimand motion.

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Charges of Racism

A congressman was the focus of separate reprimand efforts over the warmer months for bigoted remarks made about elected officials of color. The posts included insulting labels and calls for removal from the country. None of these proposals was considered by the full House.

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Disparaging a Individual's Character

In the following period of a well-known individual's death, a condemnation motion was introduced against a congresswoman for statements that were viewed as “disparaging” toward the late person and those grieving for him. Yet again, the resolution was defeated with the assistance of a small group of members from the sponsor's own party. One of those who voted against the censure commented that the correct approach to “objectionable comments” is not punishment, but “additional dialogue”.

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‘Compromising the Integrity of a Open Election’

The wave of censures reached a high point late in the year when, during a key government funding vote, a lawmaker went to the House floor to allege that a colleague had planned his departure in a manner to ensure a specific successor would be elected to replace him. The resolution voiced condemnation of this conduct for “harming the integrity of a democratic election”. This motion provoked anger but was voted into effect, with backing from the majority of the minority party and a significant number of members from the alleging member's party.

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Texting Jeffrey Epstein

As congressional action to compel the release of sealed records related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was close to approval, news broke that a lawmaker had texted with Epstein during a congressional hearing. Seizing the moment, political opponents lawmakers introduced a reprimand motion against the delegate. This attempt did not pass thanks to a unified front from the member's own party and the votes of a few of members from the resolution's authors.

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A Broad Spectrum of Supposed Wrongdoings

One representative was the target of multiple distinct reprimand efforts throughout the year, which eventually led to {allegations|claims