[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2789-H2792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AWARDING FOUR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS TO UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE
AND THOSE WHO PROTECTED THE U.S. CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6, 2021
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3325) to award four congressional gold medals to the United
States Capitol Police and those who protected the U.S. Capitol on
January 6, 2021, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3325
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Every day, the United States Capitol Police (``Capitol
Police'') protects the U.S. Capitol, Members of Congress,
congressional staff and institutional staff, journalists, and
the visiting public.
(2) On January 6, 2021, a mob of insurrectionists forced
its way into the U.S. Capitol building and congressional
office buildings and engaged in acts of vandalism, looting,
and violently attacked Capitol Police officers.
(3) The sacrifice of heroes including Capitol Police
Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, Metropolitan
Police Department Officer Jeffrey Smith, and those who
sustained injuries, and the courage of Capitol Police Officer
Eugene Goodman, exemplify the patriotism and the commitment
of Capitol Police officers, and those of other law
enforcement agencies, to risk their lives in service of our
country.
(4) Up to seven Americans died following this violent
attack, and more than 140 law enforcement officers suffered
physical injuries, including 15 officers who were
hospitalized.
(5) The desecration of the U.S. Capitol, which is the
temple of our American Democracy, and the violence targeting
Congress are horrors that will forever stain our Nation's
history.
(6) On April 2, 2021 Officer William ``Billy'' Evans was
killed while protecting the North Barricade of the Capitol.
Officer Evans was a distinguished member of the First
Responders Unit and an eighteen-year veteran of the United
States Capitol Police. Also injured in that assault was
Officer Kenneth Shaver. Officer Shaver is a fifteen-year
veteran of the United States Capitol Police.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS.
(a) Presentation Authorization.--The Speaker of the House
of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the
Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the
presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of four gold medals
of appropriate design to the United States Capitol Police and
those who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'')
shall strike gold medals with suitable emblems, devices, and
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(c) Disposition of Medals.--Following the award of the gold
medals under subsection (a):
(1) USCP headquarters.--One gold medal shall be given to
the United States Capitol Police, so that the medal may be
displayed at the headquarters of the United States Capitol
Police and made available for research, as appropriate.
(2) DC metropolitan police department headquarters.--One
gold medal shall be given to the Metropolitan Police
Department of the District of Columbia, so that the medal may
be displayed at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police
Department and made available for research, as appropriate.
(3) Smithsonian institution.--
(A) In general.--One gold medal shall be given to the
Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for
display as appropriate and available for research.
(B) Plaque.--In displaying the gold medal given under
subparagraph (A), the Smithsonian Institution shall display
the medal with a plaque that lists all of the law enforcement
agencies that participated in protecting the U.S. Capitol on
January 6, 2021.
(C) Sense of the congress.--It is the sense of the Congress
that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal
given under subparagraph (A) available for display elsewhere,
particularly at appropriate locations associated with the
protection of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
(4) United states capitol.--
(A) In general.--One gold medal shall be given to the
Architect of the Capitol, for display in a prominent location
in the United States Capitol as appropriate and available for
research.
(B) Plaque.--In displaying the gold medal given under
subparagraph (A), the Architect of the Capitol shall display
the medal with a plaque that lists all of the law enforcement
agencies that participated in protecting the United States
Capitol on January 6, 2021.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of
the gold medals struck pursuant to section 2 under such
regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price
sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor,
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the United States Mint
should expedite production of the gold medals and duplicate
medals under this Act, so that the sacrifices of fallen
officers and their families, and the contributions of other
law enforcement agencies who answered the call of duty on
January 6, 2021, can be recognized and honored in a timely
manner.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.
Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for
the purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 6. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such
statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
McHenry) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. WATERS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, every day the men and women of the United States
Capitol Police protect the U.S. Capitol. They protect us, they protect
our staff, they protect journalists and other visitors who come into
the people's House.
In March of this year, the House passed H.R. 1085 to award three
Congressional Gold Medals honoring the courage, patriotism, and
commitment to service exemplified by the men and women of the Capitol
Police, Metropolitan Police, and other law enforcement agencies who
risked their lives and sustained injuries as they sought to protect
those trapped in the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This bill builds upon H.R. 1085 to include minting of a fourth
Congressional Gold Medal to be displayed by the Architect of the
Capitol so that we may continue to honor those officers who sustained
injuries in the line of duty and the sacrifices of heroes, including
Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood and
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Officer Jeffrey Smith.
We also honor Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman; whose quick
thinking and selfless action undoubtedly saved the lives of many.
Additionally, this bill honors the memory of Capitol Police Officer
William ``Billy'' Evans, who was killed while protecting the north
barricade of the Capitol against a vehicular assault on April 2, 2021.
It also honors the bravery displayed by Capitol Police Officer Kenneth
Shaver, who was also injured in that assault.
I thank Speaker Pelosi for introducing this bill this Congress and
urge Members to vote ``yes.''
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McHENRY. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3325, a bill to award the
Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Capitol Police and those who
protected the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
[[Page H2790]]
I would like to thank the Speaker for bringing this legislation to
the floor to honor the officers who work tirelessly to protect us in
and out every day, to not just protect this building, but to protect
the Members in this building. Not just protect the Members, but to make
sure that staff is safe on a daily basis. And the staff, indeed, makes
Congress what it is and gives us the capacity that we have to
legislate. We want to make sure that staff and Members and our visitors
here are protected on a daily basis, and the Capitol Police, indeed, do
that.
Madam Speaker, what happened to this institution on January 6 was
horrific. This building is a working monument to our Nation's Founding
Fathers and our founding principles. It is a testament to the freedoms
we hold dear and that we strive for, and we strive to become a more
perfect Union on every day that we are here. Not perfectly, but we
strive for a more perfect Union.
Madam Speaker, the brave men and women who stood and faced danger on
January 6 deserve to be recognized for their actions. Without their
courageous work and their dedication, many of us here today could have
been seriously injured or worse.
This gold medal will also honor another Capitol Police Officer,
William ``Billy'' Evans. Officer Evans, an 18-year veteran of Capitol
Police, was killed at his post when a car rammed into the Capitol
barricade on Good Friday. Any life lost is a tragedy, especially those
of our friends on the police force.
Once this bill is enacted, a Congressional Gold Medal will be
displayed at the U.S. Capitol Police headquarters. It will be a
recognition of the good work the Capitol Police do on a daily basis.
Another will be displayed at the D.C. Metropolitan Police headquarters,
and the third will be given to the Smithsonian Institution so everyone
who visits D.C. will be reminded of the bravery by our police officers
on that very day.
Madam Speaker, I think I speak for all my colleagues when I say thank
you, thank you to each and every officer who was here on January 6.
Their bravery will not be forgotten.
The U.S. Capitol Police and those who protected us on January 6
deserve this Congressional Gold Medal. I urge my colleagues to support
this bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi) the Speaker, who is also the sponsor of this
legislation.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and
for leading the effort on the floor today to pass this important
legislation. I commend her and the ranking member, Mr. McHenry, for his
good words about this legislation and his reference to the bravery of
our Capitol Police.
Madam Speaker, over 5 months have passed since the January 6
insurrection was waged against our Capitol and our democracy.
For most of us, the horror of January 6 has not faded. The memory of
Members, staff, and workers fleeing for their lives, the sound of
screams and shots fired, the agony of over 140 law enforcement officers
physically harmed and those killed all remain very raw.
January 6 was unquestionably one of the darkest days in the history
of our democracy, but because of the courage of the Capitol Police and
other law enforcement officers, it will also be etched in history as a
day of heroism. That day the Capitol Police Force put themselves
between the violence and us. They risked their safety and their lives
for others with the utmost selflessness. Some died, becoming martyrs
for our democracy.
They did so because they were patriots, the type of Americans who
heard the call to serve and answered it, putting country above self.
They enabled us to return to the Capitol, to that podium that night to
show the world that our democracy had prevailed and that it had
succeeded because of them.
{time} 1600
In March, as you recall, we came together and we passed legislation
to award these patriots the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest
award, as has been mentioned, that this body can offer.
Doing so was a high honor and privilege for each of us, and it was
also our responsibility to ensure that we always remember those heroes
and their sacrifice.
As I said on the floor then: ``May the courage of these heroes always
remain an inspiration to us. And may we always remember the valor of
the fallen.''
This gold medal will be proudly displayed, as the distinguished
gentleman referenced, for years to come, ensuring that their valor and
the sacrifice of the fallen are always remembered.
But 2 weeks after we passed that gold medal legislation, as you know,
Madam Speaker, under your leadership, Congress honored one of the
fallen, Officer Brian Sicknick, with a lying-in-state ceremony to
convey the grief and gratitude felt for all Americans by his sacrifice.
That respect was reflected in the presence of distinguished leaders,
military leaders, and leaders of institutions of government who came to
pay their respects, including President Biden.
Sadly, just weeks later, we returned to the Capitol rotunda for a
lying-in-honor ceremony for Officer Billy Evans, as the distinguished
ranking member mentioned, killed in the line of duty in April on Good
Friday.
Officer Evans was a distinguished member of the first responders unit
and an 18-year veteran of the United States Capitol Police.
Everyone who knew him knew he was a hero. We hope that it was a
comfort to his children Logan and Abigail that so many learned that day
what a hero their father was. We hope by adding Billy's name to the
pantheon of patriots honored with this gold medal, the memory of his
sacrifice will always endure.
So here we are once again on the floor of the House honoring our
heroes. As we pass this legislation, we, as Members of Congress, have a
responsibility to do more than simply laud these officers as heroes.
We must respect them and we must support them with resources and
funding. We must keep them safe. And we must ensure that a January 6th
attack can never happen again.
This is about our respect for their service and our responsibility to
honor their sacrifice. Any chance we get, we want to praise our Capitol
Police. Sadly, we are doing this in a time when we are honoring some
who have lost their lives and some were severely injured, but every day
we know that they are making a sacrifice, and that is what we respect.
I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this legislation. I am pleased to
hear both our distinguished chair, Maxine Waters, and the distinguished
ranking member both support the legislation. I urge all members to join
us in honoring our law enforcement heroes with real action with a gold
medal.
Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Waters for
yielding, and I thank the gentlewoman and the ranking member for their
leadership.
I ask that we think carefully as this legislation is debated and
really reflect on January 6, where each of us probably has a personal
experience that we can offer to be able to add to the sacrifice of that
day, the moment in history and imaging that we never expected an
insurrectionist mob to rise to attack the citadel of democracy.
We were here quietly doing the people's business, the constitutional
responsibility of affirming the President and Vice President of the
United States. We were doing what the American people asked us to do.
We were representing the Capitol Police and law enforcement throughout
America. Nurses, doctors, students, teachers, the impoverished, all
were with hope looking toward the Biden-Harris administration.
We knew that there were those who did not vote for them, but we also
knew the sacredness of our Constitution, and so did the Capitol Police
and other law enforcement.
For as we were down in this very august place where noises could not
be heard quickly, our Capitol Police were already facing a torrent of
outrageous behavior, violence, guns, smears, flags representing the
worst of our Nation.
So I am very proud to rise today and thank Speaker Pelosi for the
vision
[[Page H2791]]
and leadership and to remember to be reminded of the names Brian
Sicknick, Howard Liebengood, Metropolitan Police Department Officer
Jeffrey Smith, and those who sustained injuries, those who were heroic;
Officer Eugene Goodman exemplified the patriotism, commitment, and
unselfishness in saving the lives of others; and the Metropolitan
police, along with many other law enforcement.
I rise to support this gold medal. I rise so that we never have this
happen again. And I rise to say the simple words of ``thank you.''
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3325, legislation
awarding four Congressional Gold Medals to the United States Capitol
Police and those who, on January 6, 2021, displayed selfless and heroic
service in defense of American democracy in protecting the U.S. Capitol
from the violent assault of domestic terrorists.
The United States Capitol Police dates back to 1800 when the Congress
moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., and a lone watchman was
hired to protect the Capitol Building.
In 1827, President John Quincy Adams asked that a regular Capitol
Police force be established, and on May 2, 1828, Congress passed an Act
that expanded the police regulations of the City of Washington to
include the Capitol and Capitol Square.
The United States Capitol Police expanded its force after the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and again following the
historic merger with the Library of Congress Police in 2009.
In addition to the more than 2,000 sworn members of the force, the
United States Capitol Police Department has over 350 civilian personnel
who provide operational and administrative support, and its diverse
workforce is comprised of employees from nearly all 50 states and the
U.S. territories.
The United States Capitol Police embodies the best in American
policing and serves as a model in security, urban crime prevention,
dignitary protection, specialty response capabilities, and homeland
security.
As ambassadors of the Congress, officers of the United States Capitol
Police Department are often the first face that visitors and employees
encounter, leaving a lasting impression that is reflective of the
Legislative Branch and its role in America's democracy.
Officers of the United States Capitol Police Department each day
proudly protect the legislative process, the symbol of the Nation's
democracy, the people who carry out the process, and the millions of
visitors who travel here to see democracy in action.
No finer example of the selfless devotion to duty, love of country,
and fidelity to their oath to preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution of the officers of the United States Capitol Police
Department's than their valiant, heroic, and courageous response to the
January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol Building by thousands of
domestic terrorists, insurrectionists, and rioters sent there by the
President of the United States to ``fight like hell'' to disrupt and
derail the constitutionally required Joint Meeting of Congress to open,
count, and publicly confirm the vote tally of the presidential electors
and announce the persons who had been elected President and Vice-
President of the United States.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Metropolitan Police
Department have a distinguished record of protecting all groups,
regardless of their beliefs, who come to the Nation's capital to
exercise their First Amendment rights peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
At the direction of Mayor Bowser, and in advance of the scheduled
demonstrations, mutual aid was requested by the Metropolitan Police
Department from several area police departments to be on standby in the
District, including neighboring law enforcement departments, the
Metropolitan Transit Police and non-law enforcement agencies such as
the District's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and
the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.
The sustained assault on the Capitol precipitated an equally
unprecedented response, necessitating the urgent request of the United
States Capitol Police for the Metropolitan Police Department to come
defend the Capitol to which the Metropolitan Police Department
responded immediately with several Civil Disturbance Unit Platoons and
proceeded to deploy to the west front of the Capitol and arrived within
minutes.
The violent mob overran protective measures at the Capitol, and by
1:50 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department had declared the assembly to
be a riot and immediately began working to achieve the objectives of
stopping domestic terrorists from entering the Capitol building and
removing those that were already inside, secure a perimeter so that the
Capitol could be cleared for lawmakers to resume the Joint Meeting of
Congress to demonstrate to the Nation and the world the robustness and
vitality of America's democracy, and making arrests of anyone violating
the law.
During the height of the siege of the Capitol, approximately 850
Metropolitan Police Department members were at the Capitol, with
another 250 had been in the area to directly support the response and
aftermath.
Madam Speaker, people around the country and the world were shocked
and moved by the video of a Metropolitan Police Department Officer
being beaten by a crowd of insurgents, including one wielding an
American flag, and of another in agony as he was crushed between a door
and a riot shield but also awed by their bravery in the face of this
unprovoked and vicious attack, bravery that was matched that day by
countless other unheralded Metropolitan Police Department officers.
The January 6, 2021 siege of the Capitol assault resulted in one of
the worst days of injuries for law enforcement in the United States
since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Madam Speaker, officers of the United States Capitol Police
Department, the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., and
other uniformed law enforcement officers stood their ground in defense
of American democracy while being attacked by the angry mob of domestic
terrorists with metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants, and other
weapons.
At least 138 officers, 73 from the United States Capitol Police
Department and 65 from the Metropolitan Police Department in
Washington, sustained injuries during the attack on the Capitol
Building, several of which required hospitalization.
The injuries sustained ranged from bruises and lacerations to more
serious damage such as concussions, rib fractures, burns, and even a
mild heart attack.
One United States Capitol Police Department officer died from
injuries sustained while physically engaging with protesters and two
officers involved in the response have died by suicide.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of officers whom law enforcement officials
estimate will suffer in years to come with post-traumatic stress
disorder and the dozens who contracted the coronavirus from the
unmasked domestic terrorists and rioters who stormed the Capitol.
At least 38 Capitol Police officers have tested positive or were
exposed to the coronavirus as well as nearly 200 National Guard
personnel who were deployed to protect the Capitol.
Madam Speaker, the seven hours between the urgent call for help from
the Capitol Police to Metropolitan Police Department and the resumption
of work by both houses of Congress will be indelibly etched in the
memories of every law enforcement officer who was on the scene, as it
is in the minds of the Senators, Representatives, congressional and
support staff, and members of the media corps who were forced to seek
safety behind locked doors.
Despite being overwhelmed and outnumbered, the indomitable forces of
American democracy, symbolized by the resolve of the officers of the
United States Capitol Police Department, prevailed and the seditious
attack was quelled, the Capitol Building preserved, and the lives of
United States Senators and Representatives protected, as well as those
of congressional and support staff, and order was restored so that the
Joint Meeting of Congress was resumed and completed its
constitutionally required duty of counting and announcing the votes of
the presidential electors, an essential step in the peaceful transfer
of power that has been a hallmark of American democracy and the example
to the world for more than two centuries.
As the legislation recites, ``the courage of Capitol Police Officer
Eugene Goodman,'' and ``the sacrifice of heroes including Capitol
Police Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, Metropolitan
Police Department Officer Jeffrey Smith, and those who sustained
injuries, exemplify the patriotism'' and devotion to duty of Capitol
Police officers, and those of other law enforcement agencies, who risk
their lives in service of our country.
Madam Speaker, the Congressional Gold Medals authorized to be minted
by this legislation and to be displayed at the United States Capitol
Police headquarters, the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington,
D.C., the Smithsonian Institution, and by the Architect of the Capitol
at the United States Capitol conveys the thanks and appreciation of a
grateful nation for the selfless and heroic service exhibited by these
sentinels of the republic in defense of American democracy in
responding to the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol by
domestic terrorists.
This tribute is, as President Lincoln noted at Gettysburg,
``altogether fitting and proper'' for heroes of the republic.
The action we are taking today should encourage all educational and
media institutions throughout the United States to teach and celebrate
the story of the heroism of the officers
[[Page H2792]]
of the United States Capitol Police Department, the Metropolitan Police
Department, and all other law enforcement officers who, out of true
faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States,
selflessly risked their lives to protect the Capitol Building and its
personnel, the Congress, and the spirit and fact of democracy in
America.
Madam Speaker, I urge all Americans to read, celebrate, and revere
the Constitution of the United States, fidelity to which is the surest
best means of forming a more perfect union, establishing justice,
ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense,
promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessing of liberty to
them and their posterity.
Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I think this is a special moment for the House in a
very tough year for us to pause and to say thank you to those men and
women who stand guard over this institution; not just this building,
not just this campus, but the people who work here every day.
It is not Members; it is staff that are here every day. It is the
people that make the Capitol work physically. It is the folks who are
at the daycare, the folks who are in the press. They are the folks who
are frequent visitors here, such that they feel like they work here,
too.
It is the Capitol Police that keep us safe not from one another, but
safe from the harms that can happen in a very dangerous world. And we
want to say thank you to the men and women of the Capitol Police for
their dedication, for their bravery, for their training every day.
And we honor you not just in word, but with deed; not just with word
and this deed of a Congressional Gold Medal, but our ongoing support.
Our ongoing support, such that you can operate every day to the best of
your training with the best training and tactics available to police
and law enforcement anywhere in the world, the best equipment, the best
training resources, but also the freedom to use those things in a way
that is commensurate with public safety.
So I want to thank the Capitol Police for their service and their
sacrifice in making this institution safe; safe so we can debate
important things that need to be debated, to disagree, for us to be
able to disagree as a civil society, yet still come together for the
important things of being friends and neighbors and lovers of this
great country.
Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, I commend Speaker Pelosi for bringing forward this
legislation.
Every day, the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police put
their lives on the line in service to our Nation.
On January 6, we all witnessed this bravery firsthand as they fought
against those who would seek to end this democracy. It is true that the
leadership and decisive action on that day saved many lives, including
my own. We honor their sacrifices on that day, and every day we thank
them for their service.
Madam Speaker and Members, I cannot help but say at this time where
this bill is being discussed on the floor of the House of
Representatives, I saw Capitol Police in hand-to-hand combat with these
insurrectionists. I saw them being attacked by QAnon, by the proud
boys, by the oath keepers, by the KKK, by white supremacists. I thought
I would never see such in my lifetime.
I watched Capitol Police being attacked with the American flag jabbed
into their bodies. I never thought those who considered themselves
conservative would attack uniformed police officers of the Capitol or
any place, but we saw it.
So we can't say enough about these Capitol Police, whose lives were
endangered and some who lost their lives and some who are still trying
to recuperate from the injuries that they received.
I am absolutely saddened by the fact that too many do not want to
know what really happened that day, who oppose investigation, oppose a
commission to delve into exactly what took place, who was responsible,
who organized it, who paid for it, et cetera.
I could go on all day and night talking about that experience, as
many Members of Congress perhaps would like to do, but I know that,
despite the fact, there is opposition to delving into what happened. We
are going to find out what happened. We are going to find out who
supported all of the resources that were put together to bring people
here in buses and put them on airplanes to come and attack us in the
Capitol of the United States of America.
So I urge all Members to honor the sacrifices and courage displayed
by the members of the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police, and
other law enforcement agencies by voting ``yes'' on H.R. 3325.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3325, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
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