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Congressional Gold Medals Awarded to Law Enforcement Who Defended US Capitol on January 6

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Top House and Senate leaders will present law enforcement officers who defended the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, with Congressional Gold Medals on Tuesday, nearly two years after they fought against former President Donald Trump's supporters in a brutal and bloody attack. The ceremony comes as Democrats, just weeks away from losing their House majority, race to finish a nearly 18-month investigation of the insurrection. The medals will be placed in four locations: the US Capitol Police headquarters, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow, is being awarded to hundreds of law enforcement officers who were at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to recognize their bravery and heroism during the insurrection.
  • The medals will be placed in four locations, including the US Capitol Police headquarters, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol, and the Smithsonian Institution.
  • President Joe Biden said the officers' heroism cannot be forgotten and that the insurrection was a "violent attempt to overturn the will of the American people."
  • The ceremony comes as Democrats, just weeks away from losing their House majority, race to finish a nearly 18-month investigation of the insurrection.
  • Dozens of officers who fought off the rioters sustained serious injuries, including brain injuries, trampled and crushed by the crowd, and some suffered lifelong effects.
  • Four officers who testified at a House hearing last year spoke openly about the lasting mental and physical scars, and some detailed near-death experiences, including being beaten, tased, and sprayed with chemicals.
  • At least nine people who were at the Capitol that day died during and after the rioting, including a woman who was shot and killed by police and three other Trump supporters who suffered medical emergencies.
  • Two police officers died by suicide in the days that immediately followed the insurrection, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after being sprayed with a chemical.
  • The June 2021 House vote to award the medals won widespread support from both parties, but 21 House Republicans voted against it.
  • The Congressional Gold Medal has been handed out by the legislative branch since 1776 and has been awarded to notable figures such as George Washington, Sir Winston Churchill, and Steve Gleason.

Statistics:

  • 1776: The year the Congressional Gold Medal was first awarded by the legislative branch.
  • January 6, 2021: The date of the insurrection at the US Capitol.
  • 21: The number of House Republicans who voted against awarding the medals.
  • 1776: The year the Congressional Gold Medal was first awarded by the legislative branch.
  • 2: The number of police officers who died by suicide in the days that immediately followed the insurrection.
  • 3: The number of Trump supporters who died from medical emergencies during the rioting.
  • 4: The number of officers who testified at a House hearing last year and spoke openly about the lasting mental and physical scars.
  • 9: The number of people who died during and after the rioting on January 6, 2021.

Sources:

  • Washington, Farnoush Amiri and Lisa Mascaro. "Top House and Senate leaders will present law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with Congressional Gold Medals on Tuesday (Mary Clare Jalonick, AP)."
  • Biden, Joe. "Signing the bill at the White House last year."

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