[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Protests

  Mr. President, finally, January 6 is a day all of us will remember 
forever. The Capitol was breached by a violent mob. The Confederate 
flag was flown in the halls of our Union for the first time in American 
history. Insurrectionists--angry, bigoted--stood a few inches from 
where I am standing now. It is hard to believe these hallowed halls 
were occupied by such terrible, awful lawbreakers. Five Americans lost 
their lives, including a Capitol Police officer.
  The impeachment of Donald Trump was one necessary consequence of the 
attack of January 6, but it is far from the only one. We must and will 
continue to recon with the events of that day. This morning--in fact, 
as we speak--the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are holding a joint hearing 
to examine the attack on the Capitol. The committees will hear 
important testimony from the acting chief of the Capitol Police, the 
former chief of police, and former members of the Sergeant at Arms. 
Later this week, Senators will be briefed by the acting chief of police 
and the Acting Sergeant at Arms on the current and future security 
measures around the Capitol.
  It is our solemn responsibility to protect the Capitol and everyone 
who works and visits within it. It is our solemn duty to prevent a day 
like January 6 from ever, ever being repeated. At the same time, the 
Capitol has been and must be once again a symbol of democracy that is 
accessible to the people. No one expects the Capitol to remain a 
militarized zone in perpetuity. As I said, no one expects the Capitol 
to remain a militarized zone in perpetuity. We must strive to strike 
the difficult balance between access and security and better understand 
the intelligence and security failures that led to the attack on 
January 6. This will be a crucial and bipartisan undertaking. I am glad 
that Senators from both the Rules and Homeland Security Committees, 
from both parties, are starting that important work today.
  I now yield the floor.