WASHINGTON — A commemorative plaque memorializing the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot was installed on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday morning.
The plaque, which reads "On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021. Their heroism will never be forgotten," lists all law enforcement agencies involved in the response that day, with the U.S. Capitol Police Department and Washington's Metropolitan Police Department given top billing.
The installation was directed by a bipartisan Senate resolution introduced in January by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). It came after Congress had stalled for years on plans outlined in a 2022 law that called for a plaque to be installed by March 2023.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously said the 2022 law was "not implementable" and had indefinitely delayed action on the plaque. The Senate resolution bypassed the House entirely, placing the plaque on the Senate side of the building.
Sen. Merkley said on the Senate floor in January that the plaque would remain in its current location "until a deal can be reached with the House of Representatives to display it" in a permanent location agreed upon by both chambers.
Two Capitol Police officers who served on January 6, Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges, had filed a federal lawsuit over the delay. Hodges told NBC News following Saturday's installation that the Senate placement "is a fine stopgap, however they are not yet within full compliance of the law and the weight of a judicial ruling would help secure the memorial against future tampering. Our lawsuit persists."
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The plaque lists the U.S. Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department, Arlington County Police, Fairfax County Police, Maryland State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the National Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service, among other agencies.
Massachusetts' congressional delegation has been among the most vocal in Congress on January 6. Senator Elizabeth Warren voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial and has repeatedly called the events of that day "an insurrection." Senator Ed Markey also voted to convict and called January 6 "a violent assault on our democracy." Rep. Ayanna Pressley boycotted Trump's State of the Union address last month, citing the events of January 6 as part of her refusal to attend. Governor Maura Healey called the attack "an assault on our democracy" during her time as attorney general.
President Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants shortly after taking office last year.
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