[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S85-S86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE

  Mr. PORTMAN. Madam President, I can say with certainty that General 
Austin has no better friend or ally in this Chamber than Senator Dan 
Sullivan, who has seen him as a person and seen him as a commander.
  Those votes will occur later today.
  Madam President, I rise today on the floor to talk about what 
happened yesterday at the Capitol and what happened 2 weeks ago at the 
Capitol.
  Yesterday, we had the 59th Presidential inauguration right here. The 
citadel of democracy was once again the place where a President and 
Vice President were sworn in for 4 years.
  Starting in 1789, every 4 years, America and the world have witnessed 
this remarkable event that provides for the peaceful transfer of 
Executive power and the continuity of government--something we 
sometimes take for granted but is rare, even today. It has happened 
through wars. It has happened through economic recessions. We have had 
our inaugurations today and during this unprecedented COVID-19 
pandemic.
  What is more, the inauguration took place 2 weeks to the day on the 
very west steps of the United States Capitol where a violent mob 
stormed this building, desecrating these halls, and tried to stop our 
constitutionally mandated deliberations in this body.
  It was the ninth inauguration ceremony I have attended. I was proud 
to be there as President Biden and Vice President Harris were sworn in.
  I am here on the floor today to thank the Capitol Police and other 
law enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service and its 
Director, Jim Murray, who took the lead on this national special 
security event to ensure that things went smoothly and that we, indeed, 
had a peaceful transfer of power.
  I also want to give special thanks to the men and women of the 
National Guard, who worked to ensure this ceremony was safe and secure. 
Over the past 2 weeks, 25,000 National Guard troops from across the 
country, including all 50 States and 3 territories, answered the call, 
leaving their families and friends and, for most, leaving their regular 
jobs to help defend this sacred celebration of democracy that occurred 
at this place yesterday.
  This number of 25,000 troops includes nearly 1,000 guardsmen from my 
home State of Ohio. I had the opportunity to meet with a couple hundred 
of these citizen soldiers from Ohio yesterday. I was able to tell them 
how much we appreciate their commitment to the mission and what they 
have done, truly, to protect democracy and to help our Capitol Police 
during a stressful time. Because of their efforts, the ceremony was 
safe for everyone in attendance, and we were able to proceed with this 
transfer of power.
  When I thanked them, they all told me the same thing--they were just 
doing their duty. They were proud to be here. They were protecting 
their country and their fellow citizens
  I have seen this firsthand over the years when I have visited Ohio 
National Guard installations around our State, including the Mansfield 
Air Base, the Toledo Air Base, the Springfield Air Base, Rickenbacker 
Air National Guard.
  During this pandemic, when more Americans than ever are facing severe 
food insecurity, I have had the chance to hand out food with members of 
the Ohio Army National Guard who have been working around the clock at 
food banks I have been at, like Greater Cleveland Food Bank or Central 
Ohio Food Bank. They are working hard alongside volunteers to respond 
to a true crisis.
  But that is not all. The Ohio National Guard has played an essential 
role in providing critical assistance to our prisons and our jails when 
guards were out with the COVID virus. They have helped with testing. 
They have helped to get the COVID-19 vaccines distributed across our 
State, and they are continuing to do that. We can't thank them enough 
for what they have done during this time of crisis.
  As I have visited with the Guard this week, both with regard to the 
Ohio members and Guard from all over the country, including some 
conversations I had this morning, I have told them all what I have 
heard from the Capitol Police this week. I have heard that they really 
appreciated the backup at a time when shifts have been long, sleep has 
been rare, and the effects of the attack on the Capitol are still 
acutely felt.
  It has been a tough 2 weeks on our Capitol police officers. It has 
been a tough 2 weeks since the attack on the Capitol.
  I want to take this opportunity to also express the gratitude of all 
of us in this Chamber and all Americans to the Capitol Police for 
bravely holding the line against an illegal, violent mob that 
threatened this building, our proceedings, and our colleagues.
  In effect, the men and women of the Capitol Police Force put their 
lives on the line to defend democracy. It is that simple.
  As I said on this floor that terrible night 2 weeks ago, it was 
because of their courage that we were safe and because of their courage 
that we were able to demonstrate to the American people and the world 
that we were going to accomplish our constitutional duty of certifying 
the election. They allowed us to do that.
  As a Congress, we have begun a complete, impartial, and nonpartisan 
investigation into what went wrong that day. I am working across the 
Senate with the committees of jurisdiction--the Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs Committee, where I will be the ranking Republican, 
the Rules Committee, the Appropriations Committee, and the Intelligence 
Committee to ensure that our Capitol Police are never put in that kind 
of position again. We are performing oversight to ensure they have what 
they need to be able to protect the Capitol going forward.
  Without prejudging our investigation, we must consider what reforms 
need to be made and take a hard look at the physical security of our 
Capitol Complex. While these buildings must remain accessible to the 
people, we need to look at incorporating the best practices in physical 
security, to include shatterproof windows and doors that can't be 
easily breached. This will

[[Page S86]]

cost money, but it is absolutely necessary, based on what happened on 
the 6th of January.
  I look forward to helping lead this bipartisan effort, and I urge my 
fellow Members of Congress to join in.
  Again, I don't want to prejudge our review, but I know among the 
findings we will make is a finding that the officers on the line were 
heroic, and those officers deserve our gratitude.
  We must never forget those who lost their lives that night, including 
a law enforcement officer and member of the Capitol Police, Officer 
Brian Sicknick, who, since 2008, had patrolled these halls and had been 
a familiar face to many of us. He was tragically killed defending this 
Capitol. He gave his life in heroic defense of us and our democracy.
  Only a couple of days after the attack, I learned the tragic news 
that we lost another officer, a friend, Officer Howard Liebengood. 
Howie was on duty the day the Capitol was attacked and responded to the 
attack just as his many brave comrades did. He experienced some 
difficult experiences that night. I was devastated to learn of his 
death the next day.
  Howie was someone I used to see almost every day. He was usually 
stationed in the Russell Building, where my office is located. He was 
an utmost professional--someone who took great pride in his work and 
had an ironclad commitment to keeping people safe. His dad was Sergeant 
at Arms here at one time.
  He brightened my day every time I saw him. The last time was a few 
weeks ago, when he was standing guard outside the doors to the Russell 
Building, alone in the cold, alert, vigilant, and good-humored.
  Today I reread a letter that I wrote to the Chief of the Capitol 
Police several years ago, commending the exceptional work of Howie and 
his partner, Chris Gallo, for their ``professionalism, coupled with 
their kind demeanor.''
  Howie represented what is great and good about not just our police 
force but our country.
  Rest in peace, Officer Brian Sicknick and Officer Howard Liebengood.
  Through the tragedy of that day 2 weeks ago came other stories of 
bravery and valor too. We have heard about the heroic actions of 
Officer Eugene Goodman, an Army veteran whose quick thinking under 
intense pressure protected us here in this Senate Chamber by leading 
the mob away from the Chamber while many of us were still inside.
  He unselfishly put himself in danger and, despite the risk, handled 
himself with the professionalism that defines the Capitol Police, and I 
was pleased to see his promotion.
  Officer Goodman's heroic efforts are, to me, representative of the 
actions of all the brave officers of the Capitol Police, who, on that 
day of violence and lawlessness, held the line against the mob.
  I am proud of another member of the Capitol Police. This is the 
supervisor. Inspector Tommy Lloyd is commander of the Capitol 
division--as compared to the House and the Senate, commander of the 
division to protect the Capitol itself.
  This is a powerful photograph that I saw in TIME magazine. It is a 
photograph of him facing the mob, shoulder to shoulder with his line 
officers.
  The Capitol was breached, but because of the valor of these men and 
women, we were able to complete our job and are able to be here today, 
discussing the workings of our democracy, confirming members of the new 
administration, doing our job.
  The actions of law enforcement in the Capitol should serve as a 
reminder to all of us of the risks our police officers take every 
single day to keep us safe--not just here in the Capitol but around the 
country. On Monday, for example, the city of Toledo, OH, lost one of 
its own when Officer Brandon Stalker of the Toledo Police Department 
was killed in a standoff with a gunman. Officer Stalker, only 24 years 
old, was the father of two young children and engaged to be married. He 
had a promising life ahead of him. My thoughts are with the friends and 
families of Officer Stalker and the friends and families of Officers 
Sicknick and Liebengood during this difficult time.
  Even with all the threats and challenges they face, our officers of 
the law here and around the country carry on in their duties to protect 
and to serve. They are truly the best of America. Officer Stalker's 
fellow officers will continue to patrol the streets of Toledo to keep 
its citizens safe. Yesterday, despite the hardships they have faced, 
the Capitol Police, once again, lined the Halls of Congress, keeping 
watch over the inauguration of the next President and Vice President of 
the United States.
  Together, the National Guard, the Capitol Police, the Secret Service, 
and other law enforcement protected a Presidential inauguration that 
was at once like none other in recent memory, and yet also a 
continuation of a long and great tradition--an unbroken chain of 
peacefully transferring power that our Nation has cherished since 1789. 
They did their duty, as they do every day, in defense of the values we 
Americans hold dearest--democracy, liberty, rule of law--and we all owe 
them a debt of gratitude.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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