Officer Eugene Goodman Congressional Gold Medal Act

Mr. President, ``Remember this day forever.'' That is what Donald Trump said on January 6, in a tweet to his supporters after they had attacked the U.S. Capitol.

I certainly will never forget what happened that day. I will remember the Vice President being removed from the Chair and whisked off the floor of the Senate by the Secret Service. I will remember the law enforcement officers, holding automatic weapons, standing guard in the well of the Senate while the mob spread through the Capitol building.

The entire country and the world will remember the now infamous images of a murderous mob rushing the barricades, attacking police officers, breaking into this building, and rampaging through these hallowed halls.

We will remember the incredible acts of heroism by Officer Eugene Goodman and others, to protect and defend those who work in this building. And we will remember the lives lost, including Officer Brian Sicknick, and the 140 police officers who were injured in this attack.

On February 3, Officer Sicknick's ashes rested in honor in the Rotunda of this Capitol. He died defending this building and this democracy. I have thought about Officer Sicknick and his family often in the past few weeks.

During the week of February 8, Senators served as jurors in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Former President Trump was impeached on January 13 by the House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote, 10 Republicans joining with Democrats to impeach.

The Senate had a constitutional obligation to conduct a trial on this Article of Impeachment. We also had an obligation to make clear for the record and for history what happened on January 6 and the days leading up to it.

What did the record show over the course of this trial?

First, it showed Donald Trump's big lie: his claim that the only way he could lose an election was if it were stolen. When he lost the 2020 election in a landslide to Joe Biden, Donald Trump refused to accept the will of the American people. He tried to challenge the election in the courts, losing over 60 times. He tried to bully State officials into overturning their States' election results.

And when that failed, he invited his followers to come to Washington, DC, on January 6, the day when Congress would assemble to certify the States' electoral votes. He invited them to come to DC to interrupt that process and, in his words, ``stop the steal.''

Donald Trump knew what his extremist followers were capable of. Over the summer, when armed extremists stormed and occupied State capitols, demanding an end to COVID-19 safety restrictions, he had cheered them on.

On January 6, he whipped his followers into a frenzy. ``We have to fight like hell,'' he told the crowd he had invited and assembled. ``If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.'' Then he told his followers--angry, inflamed, many of them armed--to go to the Capitol where the Vice President and Congress were certifying the votes.

Donald Trump was not shocked what happened that day. He was excited. We now know that he ignored pleas from Members of Congress in the Capitol--members of his own party--who begged him to calm the mob and stop the attack.

To this day, Donald Trump has not showed one ounce of remorse or regret. He later described his speech on January 6 as ``totally appropriate.''

For 5 days, the House Managers meticulously laid out an overwhelming case for conviction. The managers had the facts, the law, the Constitution, and a mountain of evidence on their side. The former President's defense team did not have much to work with. They only spent a couple of hours making their case and spent much of that

time showing cartoonish videos on repeat. The House Managers effectively rebutted all of the former President's defenses. The managers' case was clear, and it was compelling.

That is why I voted to convict Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection against our government.

I regret that more of my Republican colleagues did not join me in voting to convict and disqualify Donald Trump from holding future office. I wish the Senate had sent an unequivocal message that it is unacceptable for Presidents to incite violence in order to stop the peaceful transition of power. But that said, history will show that this was the most bipartisan impeachment vote against a President in American history.

And it should not be lost that a majority of Senators--including seven Senators from the President's own party--voted to convict him. Donald Trump is no longer President of the United States, but the poison he has injected into our national bloodstream remains, and it is still toxic.

As Americans reflect on the horrific, deadly events of January 6 and Donald Trump's role in inciting them, I hope we will remember that democracy and our Constitution do not defend themselves. They must be protected, preserved, and defended by ``We the People.''

On January 6, that greatest tradition of American democracy, the peaceful transition of power that had taken place in every Presidential transition since George Washington's, was broken. Our democracy, our Constitution, and this Capitol building were attacked on January 6, 2021. Brave Americans were wounded and killed defending them. And thanks to that bravery, our democracy endures.

We must learn our lessons from this. We will remember January 6, 2021, forever. And we must not repeat it.

Mr. President, the first few weeks of the Biden administration produced an absurd number of Executive orders, soft talk on China policy, and the threat of open borders. These actions left the American people confused and diluted their faith in our institutions, but nothing made the American people feel more unsettled than the unprecedented second impeachment and trial of former President Donald J. Trump.

Impeachment is inherently political. The fallout is everything but. Last week, I was able to spend time talking to Tennesseans about what they saw and heard during the trial, and I was struck by how fiercely most of them spoke out against the very idea of it.

The House Managers didn't just fail to prove their case against the former President. They failed to convince the American people that the Members of the House of Representatives who supported impeachment acted in good faith when they drafted their single Article and transmitted it to the Senate for consideration.

Tennesseans saw no serious inquiry into the alleged connection between the former President's words and the actions of the dangerous rioters who breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021. They remain unpersuaded by the arguments the House Managers offered to prove the constitutionality of the trial itself. In fact, the only thing they remain firmly convinced of is that this second impeachment culminated in nothing but a partisan show trial designed to humiliate the former President and wipe the voices of more than 70 million Americans from the pages of history.

The Senate's vote to acquit the former President of these spurious charges put an end to the House Managers' charade, but it will take more than an entry into the Congressional Record to help the country rise above the enmity that fueled it. It is our duty to lead by example and get to work on behalf of the millions of Americans living under this cloud of anxiety, fear, and mistrust. I encourage my colleagues to quiet their hearts in the coming weeks and commit to doing the work that will put us on the path to economic recovery, quality in-person schooling, and a strong national defense. Only then will we be justified in asking those we serve to once again put their faith in us.

I would be remiss if I did not associate myself with the comments of the Republican Leader honoring Officer Eugene Goodman for his actions during the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol.

On that day, Officer Goodman found himself alone, facing off against a rushing tide of violence. Without blinking, he lured the mob away from the Senate chamber, protecting us from what we now know was an all but inevitable tragedy.

I was honored to celebrate these acts of bravery and self-sacrifice by joining the Senate's unanimous vote in support of S. 35, to award Officer Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal. I thank him for his courage and his commitment to duty, and for his willingness to continue to serve here in the Capitol.

Mr. President, in a moment I will ask the Senate to pass legislation that would award Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal.

In the weeks after the attack on January 6, the world learned about the incredible, incredible bravery of Officer Goodman on that fateful day.

Here in this trial, we saw new video, powerful video showing calmness under pressure, his courage in the line of duty, his foresight in the midst of chaos, and his willingness to make himself a target of the mob's rage so that others might reach safety.

Officer Goodman is in the Chamber tonight.

Officer Goodman, thank you.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

Leader McConnell.

I just want to say I think we can all agree that Eugene Goodman deserves the highest honor Congress can bestow. But before we move to pass this legislation, I want to be clear that he was not alone that day. The Nation saw and has now seen numerous examples of the heroic conduct of the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police, and the SWAT teams that were with us on January 6 here in the Capitol, protecting us. Our heartfelt gratitude extends to each and every one of them, particularly now as members of the force continue to bear scars, seen and unseen, from the events of that disgraceful day. Let us give them all the honor and recognition they so justly deserve.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 35 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Van Hollen substitute amendment which is at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the terrible events of January 6, the impeachment vote, and the need to hold people accountable for their actions.

While the U.S. Senate did not achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to convict former President Donald Trump, this will go down in history as the largest bipartisan vote ever to hold a President accountable for high crimes and misdemeanors under our Constitution.

Former President Donald Trump spent months pushing a big lie--that the November election was stolen from him. He inspired, encouraged, and incited a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in order to stop the certification of the electoral college vote, and then he did nothing to stop the violence, which caused massive injury and loss of life.

I wish to convey my personal and deep gratitude to all of the Capitol Police officers who courageously put their lives on the line to protect all of us that day, and I join with my colleagues in grieving the loss of life and injuries that so many suffered as a result of this violent insurrection.

This wasn't just an attack on a building. It was an attack on all of the people who work there. It was an attack on our form of government. It was an attack on our Constitution. It was an attack on ``We the People.''

This bipartisan vote sent an important message: In America, no President is above the law. And inciting violence against our government is illegal and dangerous.

Now, as a nation, we must move forward. We must do everything we can to bring down the temperature of our debates, find common ground on issues we care about, and reduce the divide in our families and communities. And we must continue to strive for accountability and justice. Our democracy demands no less.

Oh, I am sorry.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join the majority leader's request.

January 6 was a day of fear for those who work here in the Capitol and of sadness for many more watching from afar, but that awful day also introduced our Nation to a group of heroes whom we in Congress were already proud to call our colleagues and to whom we owe a great debt.

In the face of lawlessness, the officers of the U.S. Capitol lived out the fullest sense of their oaths. If not for the quick thinking and bravery of Officer Eugene Goodman in particular, people in this Chamber may not have escaped that day unharmed. Officer Goodman's actions reflect a deep personal commitment to duty and brought even greater distinction upon all of the brave brothers and sisters in uniform. So I am proud the Senate has taken this step forward, recognizing his heroism with the highest honor we can bestow.

(Applause, Senators rising.)