Recognizing January 6

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. TORRES of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today on the anniversary of January 6th to reflect on a horrific day for our institution and our democracy.

One year ago today, violent terrorists attacked our Capitol--the seat of our democracy, and what I used to think was one of the safest places in the world. I don't think that anymore.

On that day, in the House gallery when the Capitol was breached, I sat alongside my colleagues in confusion and panic. I feared for my life. We heard the shot. We saw the tear gas coming in from under the door--but didn't know what it was. I struggled to get my gas mask on, because I couldn't hear the instructions over the chaos. I lost my glasses for a period of time.

We were evacuated, running down the halls and stairs past a part of the mob that was being held down at gunpoint. We sheltered for hours in a room packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people. Then we went back to finish the job. Because that's what we had been there to do in the first place--certify the results of a free and fair election.

That day shows that we can't take our democracy for granted. We still must fight to protect it every day, because there are still many people, including some of my Republican colleagues, who want to undermine it.

I'm thankful to the Department of Justice, FBI, and law enforcement agencies across the country who are working to prosecute and bring to justice those who planned and participated in the violence. But there is still a long way to go--we won't have true justice until those in positions of power who helped inspire and enable the mob are put on trial. To that end, I appreciate the work of my colleagues on the January 6 committee to bring to light all the details of that day, including the role of the Trump administration. I also want to again thank the journalists who were with us that day and who worked fearlessly through the attack to make sure everyone saw what was really happening.

Most importantly, I thank our Capitol Police Officers for selflessly protecting us that day. My thoughts are with the families and friends of the officers who lost their lives because of the attack. We will always remember and honor their sacrifice.

Today, I no longer feel safe at work, and I still fear for our country because so many people want to forget the events of that day, or flat out deny that they happened. We won't forget, we won't let the American people forget, and we won't stop working every day to preserve our freedoms.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source