Insurrection in the Capitol

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez for leading this Special Order hour, and I thank her for the bravery she exhibited by sharing her story.

January 6 was unlike any other day I lived through during my time in Congress. I awoke with Georgia on my mind, with hope in my heart, after the runoff victories delivered us a Senate Democratic majority. That morning, it felt like we were turning the page on a dark chapter and entering a chapter of reckoning, progress, and, ultimately, unity.

To fully turn that page, Congress needed to count the electoral college votes and certify the historic election of President Biden and Vice President Harris. That was supposed to be a perfunctory, procedural action. But it became, instead, the target of an angry mob incited by the President, who encouraged that very mob to interfere and stop the counting of the ballots.

Too many Republican colleagues empowered the lies that Trump told instead of standing up for the truth and for our democracy.

Earlier that day, I had followed press reports about a rally being organized by Trump supporters in Washington, and my staff warned me to be careful as I carried out business in and around the Capitol. I got to the Capitol early because I did not want to run into too many crowds, but I never imagined what was coming after Trump encouraged his supporters at a rally to storm the Capitol and disrupt the electoral college count.

About midday, shortly before 1 o'clock, I was returning back to my Cannon House Office Building when the Capitol Police told me: Sir, we are closing down Cannon. We are evacuating Cannon. You need to go to either the Longworth House Office Building or Rayburn and take cover.

So, I followed the instructions. I made my way back to Longworth, where I took refuge in a colleague's office. Eventually, I made it to a secure location in the Veterans' Affairs Committee offices in the Longworth basement.

It was there my phone started to blow up with anxious constituents who asked me if I was okay, and they made me aware of what was going on outside. I turned on the television, and I could not believe what I was seeing.

What I saw were Capitol Police being overwhelmed and the violent mob of Trump supporters breaking into the Capitol and bringing the electoral college vote count to a halt.

As the violence unfolded, I have to say I was in a secure location, as safe as I could be for that moment. I was fine but shaken, concerned about what this meant for our democracy.

I worried about the safety of my colleagues. I worried about the safety of the staff. I wondered when the National Guard would arrive, when reinforcements would arrive, because it was extraordinarily distressing to see our Capitol Police so greatly outnumbered by the crowd.

I was safe. I turned out to be fine. I still am fine. But that is not the case for everyone. Unlike my colleagues and me who are here, most of the people who lived through the horrors of that day can't share their experiences on the floor of the House today.

I am here to give voice to and acknowledge the experience of hundreds of congressional staffers, Capitol support staff, maintenance workers, and Capitol Police officers who also lived through that deadly insurrection. They experienced and lived the trauma, and it is just as valid and real as the stories that are being shared here today.

Staff barricaded themselves in offices. They heard banging on the doors from insurrectionists who could harm them. Staff also evacuated the House Chamber in gas masks. They were alone, gathering any items they could use as weapons in case the insurrectionists broke into the very room they were sheltering in. They were in danger as well. This is their workplace, hundreds of people who answer the phones and keep our buildings running and keep us safe every day.

When you run for office, you are confronted with the reality that you may be putting yourself in harm's way. Staff didn't ask for this, they didn't sign up for this, to be put in harm's way. They shouldn't have had to have dealt with an attack like this. They were just doing their jobs.

Those who lived through that dangerous day or watched as the Capitol was attacked from home are also experiencing pain and trauma. To them, I say: What you are feeling is valid, and we are here to support you, and don't let anybody gaslight or diminish or belittle what happened on January 6th. It was a serious event.

Over the past few weeks, I learned that following the insurrection, the Office of Employee Assistance has been overwhelmed with requests for counseling and support from our staff. After my staff on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and I were made aware of this overwhelming of requests at the Office of Employee Assistance, we worked with the VA to bring Mobile Vet Centers to the Capitol complex to provide mental health services and resources to Capitol Police, the National Guard deployed at the Capitol, congressional staff, journalists, and anyone who needs it.

I visited one of the vet centers this morning, and they told me, vaguely, ``Congressman, the numbers are there. The numbers, out of confidentiality, we won't tell you how many, but people are using these centers, and they are asking for help.''

The Mobile Vet Centers can accept walk-in appointments every day, including weekends, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. If someone would like to schedule a next-day appointment, they may call the Washington, D.C. Vet Center at 202-726-5212.

I just want to emphasize, if you work at the Capitol, as part of the Capitol workforce, whether you work as a maintenance worker, whether you work as a staffer, this is available to you.

I thank my colleagues and the staff who keep our democracy running. The only way to make this right and to help heal our Nation is for the Senate to do the right thing and hold Donald Trump accountable for the insurrection he incited.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source