Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for High Crimes and Misdemeanors

Floor Speech

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Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, it is the honor of my life to walk into the Capitol and onto this House floor to carry the voices and values of the people of Illinois' 14th Congressional District to this hallowed institution. The Capitol itself is the global symbol of democracy, and the Congress that meets here is charged with upholding the very first Article of our Constitution, written 233 years ago. The Capitol is where democratically elected Americans from across the country convene to represent their communities. It truly is--and must remain--the People's House. Last week, the People's House was invaded by people who committed acts of terror and desecrated this sacred space.

In the days since the January 6 attack on the Congress, hundreds of concerned Illinoisans have reached out to my office to share messages of disbelief that such an attack was plotted openly yet not prevented; messages of anger at the violence and the hate that was on display that day, and at the elected leaders who capitalized on those sentiments; messages of fear for the fragility of our democracy. I also received many messages of support and concern for the safety of myself and my staff, which was a great comfort to us all, and for which we are immensely grateful.

One of my constituents wrote to me about feeling ``disheartened, deeply saddened, shocked, and angry'' about the events of January 6 and all that led up to them, and another wrote about ``uncertainty and fear.'' Another wrote simply that ``there are no words to describe my horror.'' I, too, felt all of those emotions as I watched the attack unfold just beyond my office, and moved heavy furniture to barricade my office doors.

One constituent wrote to ask me a question: ``What will our future look like if we continue to allow future U.S. leaders to lead and support these types of attacks on our democracy?'' It's a question that I am asking myself today, and that we are all here to answer: ``What will our future look like?'' She wrote about the need for consequences, not only as justice for the perpetrators of this attack, but also as a message for posterity.

Over the past week, we in Congress have solemnly considered the most appropriate response to the President's incitement of insurrection--an attack that not only cost several people their lives, but also threatened a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transition of power. It is our duty to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable, and that no historical sanctuary is granted to those who have ignited this fire. We have had to face the ugly truth that this attack was incited by a President seeking to violently overturn the results of a democratic election and reject the will of the American people.

That is why today, we must impeach this President. This is an act toward preserving the integrity of our democracy. This is a message to future Americans about who we are as a nation, and who we ought to be.

Each of us took an oath just days ago, pledging to uphold the United States Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Today I will fulfill that promise by voting in favor of the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump.

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