ANNIVERSARY OF JANUARY 6

On 2026-01-06, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) delivered a floor speech titled "ANNIVERSARY OF JANUARY 6" in the Senate. The speech addressed gun policy and also covered taxes, the environment. It referenced legislation including S53, S55, S54.

ANNIVERSARY OF JANUARY 6

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S53-S55] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ANNIVERSARY OF JANUARY 6 Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER. Mr. President, today is January 6, 2026. We are 6 days into what will surely be a defining year for our Nation. We will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country. We will hold midterm elections. Americans will determine the control of Congress. But while there is much to look forward to on this cold winter night, I find myself transported back 5 years ago to January 6, 2021. Over the last 5 years, a lot has been shared about the events of that day. It has been distorted, romanticized, even downplayed. But as they say in the play ``Hamilton,'' ``It matters who lives, who dies, who tells your story.'' For me, a lot has changed since 2021. Five years ago, I didn't carry the title I proudly carry today. No, not Senator, although, I am proud. It is grandmother. Today, I rise here on the Senate floor to tell my story, not just for the history books but for my granddaughter Lennox and all of the young people of this country. It is a story of sorrow, fear, and loss, love, hate, and betrayal. But it is also a story of redemption, bravery, and resilience. On January 6, I was a Member of the House of Representatives. Joe Biden had just been elected. Kamala Harris was just about to become the first woman and first person of color to serve as our Vice President. I was ready to watch history. Because we were in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, only a few Members of the States contesting the election results could be on the House floor. The rest of us were able to sign up for 1-hour shifts in the House Gallery. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember that night choosing what outfit to wear. I remember taking two pairs of boots with me to work. I ended up wearing the more comfortable ones, not knowing I would soon be running, ducking, and crawling on my hands and knees for safety. I remember signing up for the first shift to watch from the Gallery. There was never a second shift. Not long into the proceedings, I saw the leadership and my colleagues whisked off the House floor. An announcement was made that the Capitol had been breached. I sat stunned. And as they were taken to safety, I realized they forgot about us trapped up in the Gallery. We could hear the sounds of yelling and banging on the Chamber doors. We ducked for cover and were instructed to get the gas masks out from under our seats--gas masks that we didn't even know existed, that we did not know how to open or use. And I remember my friend, former Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida grabbing my arm and locking eyes with me and saying: Lisa, there is only one who can get us out of this. And I began to pray. People say that right before you die, your life flashes right before your eyes. In that moment, I saw history flash before mine. I saw the peaks and valleys of our American story. I saw slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow. I saw a Trail of Tears, women locking arms marching for the right to vote, two World Wars, 9/11, the murder of George Floyd, and a global pandemic. I saw the history of our Nation and the path that we had traveled to get us to this moment, and I prayed. I recalled a piece of Scripture that tells us ``all things work together for the good,'' even the bad, because despite the violence, despite the trauma, despite how close we were to losing our democracy, brave men and women stood up to protect this institution, and we will never ever, ever forget them. We, the Congress, came back in the wee hours of the morning to do our jobs, to certify the results of a free and fair election. It was a moment of redemption. And redemption is part of what makes America America because whenever we falter, there are ``shoulders to the till'' who push us forward, who remind us of the values upon which our Nation was founded so that we can ``come back stronger.'' I find myself thinking about those foundational values a lot these days, and a specific phrase from the preamble has risen above the rest, that we are to ``secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.'' The Founders used the common phrasing of the time where churches spoke of bestowing blessings of knowledge or faith. We, the United States, would bestow the ``Blessings of Liberty'' and not just for ourselves but for our posterity for future generations, for our children and our children's children, for my granddaughter Lennox. But ``securing the Blessings of Liberty'' isn't just a promise, it is a call to action because while liberty is a blessing, it requires work to maintain, work that we have strayed away from many times in our history. Five years after January 6, we are faltering once again. From efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and the EPA to the weaponization of the Department of Justice, to active efforts to strip birthright citizenship, the Federal Government is losing its ability to protect many of the blessings of liberties we have come to expect as Americans. But this isn't new. We have seen this before. In the late 1800s, formerly enslaved people gained new rights--many Americans did. The 13, 14, 15 Amendments enumerated these rights. But without enforcement, they became no more than ink on paper. I believe we are repeating history. There are some more focused on tearing down than building up. But here is the thing, you can tear down the East Wing of the White House, you can put your name on buildings, or try to tear down this very Capitol Building itself like was done 5 years ago, but our democracy is built on more than just bricks and marble. Ours is a democracy built on the values of liberty and justice for all, on the premise of freedom, on the ideals of equality and independence, and on our pioneering spirit of innovation. Ours is a story of redemption. This very room that I am standing in is a testament to our system of governance, a room built by enslaved people where Lennox's grandmother now has the privilege to serve as a duly elected Senator. When our democracy expands, when it breathes, we inch closer to those divinely inspired ideals of our founding documents and to truly securing the ``Blessings of Liberty.'' This is the story of America I want to pass on to my granddaughter, a story of courage and bright hope for a democracy that endures. But again progress isn't inevitable. It is a choice, and it requires effort. In 2025, we let the aisle between our parties stretch to a chasm, but it is a new year and it is a new day and we must come together to choose progress to move forward to protect our democracy and patch the holes in our Republic, punctured by the few to spite the many. [[Page S54]] As I close, I stand here today as a Senator with gratitude to those who protected us and even gave their lives on that day. And I stand here as Lennox's grandmother with words of wisdom from the late, great Justice Thurgood Marshall, who said: This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on. To our posterity, to Lennox, to the pages in this room, to the interns in our office, to the young people inspired to save the world that work on our staff, and to each and every young person in this Nation, I would add two more words to Justice Marshall's quote. This democracy is yours. Make it ``your own'' because this democracy belongs to you too. So make it your own. Protect it like we did on January 6 and pass it on. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. ANNIVERSARY OF JANUARY 6 Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, first of all, I want to acknowledge the wonderful comments by my colleague the Senator from Delaware. There are three reasons why it is very important we have this discussion: No. 1, we have got to honor the Capitol Police who were on the receiving end of violent conduct by citizens who stormed the Capitol. No. 2, it is important that we have accountability for who caused this and to be explicit about who caused this and who was the primary motivator. And 3, it is extremely important for us not to allow history to be rewritten so what happened then will happen again. So I want to start most directly with what we all share, and that is an incredible appreciation for the Capitol Police. They showed up that day. These are folks who oftentimes have to commute an hour and a half. The person who was guarding us--I was in the Gallery of the House of Representatives--had an hour and a half commute each day--to and from work. He had two young kids. And the last thing in the world he wanted to do was to have to use his firearm in order to protect us. But it was clear he was going to do his duty. We saw so many officers who were in the same place, where they were actually being assaulted by American citizens whose democracy was under assault by American citizens. I want to express today what I think all of us feel and that is a deep appreciation for the men and women who serve on the Capitol Police force, the Metropolitan Police force, and other authorities who came to the assistance. Second, it is important for us to be explicit about what happened here and who is accountable. We are having a debate about it. There is an effort to rewrite the history of what happened on January 6, but the fact is indisputable that the primary instigator of January 6 was the President of the United States then and who is the President of the United States now, and that is Donald Trump. Why do I say that? He is the one who lost the election. He is the one who created the narrative that it was a stolen election, despite the fact that of all of the challenges, they were largely dismissed by the courts. There was never evidence. There was the use of the Presidential power that he had because he did have and does have man