[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 110 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Supplemental Appropriations

  Mr. President, actually, if others are waiting, let me say something 
on another matter. It was 169 days ago that the world witnessed a 
violent insurrection take place in the seat of American democracy. All 
of us have the memory of rioters in combat gear who were armed with zip 
ties and smashing in the windows of the Capitol Building. Everybody in 
America remembers that. The images of the National Guard patrolling the 
Capitol grounds behind fences topped with barbed wire--those are going 
to be in the pages of textbooks of American history for generations to 
come.
  Now, we didn't budget for an insurrection. In a democracy like ours, 
you should never have to. But the path of destruction from that day 
left the Capitol Police overburdened and underresourced. Purchases of 
critical equipment like respirators, ballistic helmets, protective 
gear, and training--those have been delayed to make up for these 
unanticipated costs. Efforts to implement the department's wellness 
program to address mental health concerns following January 6 have been 
put on the back burner. And if we do nothing, the Capitol Police 
projects that doing nothing will deplete salary funds in August, and 
that would be a security crisis that we have created.
  Now, 55 sworn officers have left the force since January 6. That is 
not counting those who died from January 6. That has depleted the 
force, which is already stressed. It is below what is needed to meet 
mission requirements. There is an urgent need to address the 
unanticipated costs associated with the attack on this building, 
including significant overtime pay, the need for hazard pay, and 
retention bonuses to keep dedicated officers from leaving the force.
  The urgent need extends beyond the Capitol Police. Last week, the 
Secretary of Defense testified before the full Appropriations Committee 
and said that if we do not act, the National Guard will be forced to 
cut training in August as well. I met with the Green Mountain Boys, who 
came from Vermont to secure the Capitol after January 6. I thanked them 
for their service. I am sure many other Senators thanked the Guard from 
their States. But if we don't act, our visits and thanking them is 
nothing more than empty words for the men and women who put their lives 
on the line for our country.
  And, finally, the trauma that day is shared by every member of the 
congressional community, from the Speaker of the House to the dedicated 
support staff in the Capitol--staff we rely on every day to do our 
work. It should not be lost on us that we weren't the ones who went to 
sweep up the shattered glass and scrub the floors and walls of this 
building on that day and throughout the night. It was the people who 
work here.
  It should not be lost on us that during the darkest hours of the 
pandemic, following the insurrection, these public servants came to 
work, cleaned our offices, ensured our safety, the safety of our staff, 
and boarded up shattered windows and broken doors.
  Now, we did not budget for both the pandemic and insurrection. We 
were forced to rob Peter to pay Paul to keep our congressional 
community safe and healthy. But now necessary legislative branch 
projects lack the funding to move forward. We ought to have the 
responsibility to address that.
  It has been 169 days since January 6. It has been 169 days since 
Republicans and Democrats reconvened in this Chamber in bipartisan 
defiance of those who sought to overthrow democracy and the rule of law 
through mob violence.
  But now, for 35 days, the House-passed emergency supplemental to 
address the security and the mental health needs of the January 6 
insurrection and the lingering scars of the COVID pandemic has 
languished in the Senate. And why? Because Senate Republicans have 
refused to begin negotiations on a bipartisan path forward.
  So I am urging my colleagues: Begin these negotiations. The clock is 
ticking. My staff and I are--throughout the Fourth of July recess, we 
are--willing to meet and talk with anybody to get these negotiations 
going, because if we don't act, the Capitol Police is going to run out 
of funding in a very short time in August.
  And what are we saying? We are turning our backs on those who fought 
and bled and died on that day to protect us and defend this building 
and everything it stands for. How can we possibly do that? We are going 
to be forcing the men and women of the National Guard to go without 
training that is necessary to achieve their mission, and we will be 
telling the women and men of the Capitol staff who support us: Thanks, 
but we don't support you.
  That would be wrong. That goes against everything that I have learned 
in my years here in the Senate from both Republicans and Democrats.
  The security supplemental would address the shortfalls. It would 
provide new resources for overtime, hazard pay, mental health services, 
retention bonuses, and new equipment and training for the Capitol 
Police, all of which is needed. It would fully reimburse the wounded 
men of the National Guard with costs incurred protecting the Capitol.
  They were called. They came. They didn't say: Oh, are we going to get 
reimbursed?
  They answered the call. Of course, they assumed that we would be 
responsible enough to reimburse them.
  We also restored legislative branch funding that was taken to address 
the immediate needs of keeping our congressional community safe and 
healthy.
  I have been ready to begin bipartisan negotiations. I believe if we 
begin these negotiations now, we could complete our work in the July 
session. My door is always open. It will be open throughout the July 
recess.
  I yield the floor